Take the Stage
by Daerunia
Summary: Sinnoh is the land of champions, packed peak to peak with powerful trainers and sacred history. Wyatt Castillo is a stark exception to the list of delightful things that the region has to offer. He's passive, he's uncertain, and he's incredibly unlucky. It's this selfsame awful luck that sets his spinning wheels turning as he's launched into an adventure that he never asked for.
1. Chapter I: Hey Man, Nice Boat!

**_A/N: I know, I know, I KNOW. Look, I'm uploading everything again. You're like, "but Dae, why would you tell us to keep our old art and writing to reflect back on as we grow but you DELETED 6 YEARS OF WRITING ON THIS WEBSITE? I was going through it, okay? The things I was dealing with in my personal life had NOTHING to do with writing or this site, but some part of my brain said "withdraw from everything. Trash everything. Fade away." So I did. And now I regret it. Don't ever listen to your depression voice. Things get better. Time passes. Wounds heal. I'm telling you this from experience. _**

**_I wanted to completely trash this chapter and rewrite it. Those who have been around for a while know that it's actually one of the oldest things that I had written. For some reason, all I can bring myself to do is fix grammatical errors. So enjoy, again. _**

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**Take the Stage**

**Chapter I: Hey Man, Nice Boat!**

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_'I hate this tourist trap.'_

Long, tanned arms spread out against golden sand as a lanky boy in his late teens lay on his back, chocolate orbs closed against the brightness of the setting sun. Though the expanse of beach still held many surfers and families alike that gave the spread-eagled boy a wide berth, he didn't seem to care what the others thought of him. Blond locks, perpetually messy and badly bleached from the rays of the summer's sun, were catching sand that would no doubt find its way down his shirt and into his clothing. He was dressed in loose-fitting basketball shorts and a plain white t-shirt, stained with sweat from the heat. Oddly, he wore his socks and sneakers, despite the sand being a little friendlier to flip-flops or bare feet.

A child pulled free of her mother's grip and ran past, stumbling over the male's right arm though the child merely continued running onwards. The mother gave pause and started to speak to the boy sprawled in the sand, but instead chose to bustle away.

This boy without hope or care, this beach-going slacker laying in the way, is Wyatt Castillo. Resting in the palm of hand was a small white Pokéball, reduced to the size of a walnut. Inside is his closest friend, his pet, his most loyal companion; an unconscious Shinx that was becoming all too familiar with the bitter sting of failure.

They had, once again, challenged the Sunyshore Gym leader. In a matter of mere minutes, Wyatt had lost. His companion was outright crushed under the power of Volkner's Luxio. It was amazing how there could be such a difference in strength considering that both cubs had come from the same litter. The sting was even more painful, knowing that the Pokémon that Volkner's most powerful ally had descended from had been Wyatt's own grandfather's Pokémon. It was almost like the two were also related, though they weren't close by any means.

Volkner, who was three years ahead of Wyatt in school, had been known as a genius. He was expected to accomplish amazing things and certainly had done so, whereas Wyatt had tried his hardest to befriend him. The older boy hadn't been outright rude, but it was clear that he didn't really see Wyatt as someone he could consider a friend, or even a rival. Wyatt, over the years, watched in frustration as Volkner accomplished feat after feat. He easily impressed Wyatt's grandfather, an architect, with his keen eye for design and functionality. He was chased after by a girl that Wyatt had been crushing on for most of his high school career and ended up taking her to prom despite having no interest in her. Wyatt lost interest in her after that. Volkner had even made a best friend and rival out of Flint, another older boy with a similar ambition and competitive drive as Wyatt. Apparently, there was something more interesting about Flint that Volkner didn't see in Wyatt. Could he tell, even back then, that Wyatt was going to be a good-for-nothing trainer?

Though his eyes were closed against the brightness of the setting sun, Wyatt's eyebrows still lowered into a grimace of distaste. He pushed himself up on his elbows, shaking the sand from his hair as the red-and-white sphere tumbled once across the sand, rolling gently from his fingers. "I hate feeling stuck and depressed." He also hated, as he suddenly realized, his beach boy accent that he had picked up from the Sunyshore lifestyle. It was just another reminder of how he was spinning his wheels, getting nowhere fast in this place where others came to bask in the sun. Tourists came by to stop living, but did they even consider how awful it must feel to live like that forever?

"I… aye, _ahhh_… _Ahh'm gonna get outta this hellhole._" Talking aloud to himself, Wyatt opened his mouth wide and did his best impression of a loose, southern Kanto drawl. It sounded decent to himself, but anyone from Kanto would clearly think it was over exaggerated. Either way, it was better than the same tone and accent that he had become tired of hearing for his whole life. Strange how it hadn't bothered him until now. He merely shook his head, deciding that right now, the way he talked was of least concern. His dark swept across the sandy naze and towards the docks a good distance away, where a weathered fishing boat lapped against the planks.

Wyatt felt drawn towards it. He had nothing with him but the clothes on his back, Shinx's Pokéball, and his wallet that held a meager amount of money, but the idea of slipping away as a nobody and then coming back as a well known-trainer sounded tempting. He could take the boat, make his way around the coast to Sandgem, have his license updated by the Professor, and enter the Sinnoh Gym Circuit. It was easy to picture: a team full of strong Pokémon, a crowded wallet, envious eyes of men that wanted to be him, beautiful girls that didn't like him before wanting to be with him. It would be hard work, but there was nothing for him here, was there?

'_You can't even operate a boat_,' the more sensible side of his brain argued, but that quiet nuisance was blotted out by a loud, wheezing cough from behind him.

"You got yerself a starin' problem, surfer boy?"

Wyatt whipped around and staggered backwards, his heel hitting the first board where the docks met the sand of the beach. Standing directly behind him and coming up to only his shoulder stood a ragged older man with a sunburnt face and straggling brown hair extending from beneath a floppy fishing hat. Sharp black eyes only watched as the teenager regained his balance and caught his breath; a crumpled but still lit cigarette bobbed from the old man's extended bottom lip.

"Tell me sumthin.' What business do ya have over here? This's a private dock, I'll have ye know."

"I didn't know that." Wyatt breathed a sigh, feeling his spirits sink while another part of him felt some form of relief. It was as if he had been in a trance. He was afraid to go, afraid of the unknown. But then again, he needed to get away. If he didn't take this chance now, he never would be able to get up the nerve to jump again. "I was wondering. How much would you charge to take me around to Sandgem Town?"

The old man laughed, tilting his head back as if Wyatt has said the funniest thing in the world. "Sandgem Town? Does this look like a ferry to ye, my boy? The sun's rays done got to yer head! This boat don't travel but out a mile at best, you'd be better off ridin' on a Pokémon."

"I don't have a Pokémon I can ride on, and I don't have a way to catch the wild water Pokémon around here. They hardly ever come inland enough."

"Sounds to me like you've got a personal problem there, sonny." The man blew out a ring of strong-smelling smoke, tapping his ashes into the sand. "I've got a Pokémon that could take ya, but I couldn't trust a stranger to take 'im that far and not steal 'im."

"Is it something that I could catch around here?" Wyatt was only a hair's breadth from groaning in annoyance.

"Oh, no no no. He's a rare one that helps me with my fishin'. Can't even find 'em outside of Unova, they don't migrate around these colder parts. Sinnoh's mostly cold, on account of the mountains, ya know."

"Yes, I know. Look, I would be willing to-…"

"Course, I could maybe strike a deal up with ya!" The old man interrupted Wyatt, his mouth curving up into a grin. "We could make a small trade, jus' to be on the safe side. If I have my Pokémon teleport you to Sandgem Town, I'll need to know that yer trustworthy. So what do you say, boy?"

Something seemed fishy, and it had nothing to do with the fishing boat at all. Wyatt wasn't the most keen individual, but he liked to think he could spot a scam when he smelled one. It wasn't possible that this old man just _happened _to be there at that moment and just _happened _to have a Psychic Pokémon that would get him to where he wanted in no time flat. Was Arceus taunting him? Was this still part of his imagination, the part that yearned for fame and recognition? He needed to think for a while. He had just finished school, maybe he could get a cashier job at the market, earn a little cash…

"Actually, on second thought, I changed my mind. Thank you for your time, dude." Annoyed and somewhat put-off, Wyatt nudged past the man and started to head back up the shore closer to his home, but the familiar sound of a Pokémon emerging from its Pokéball caused him to hesitate. Was it worth it to turn around, or should he run? Something was off, his racing heart told him. Something was very off. With nerves bundled at his throat, he slowly turned his head, peering over his shoulder with his right eye as he resumed a quicker pace.

He only caught the smallest glimpse of something green out of the corner of his eye before his back erupted into pain, sending him sprawling onto his stomach. All he could do was subconsciously blurt, "what the hell?!" Quickly he rolled to his back, propping himself up on his elbows just as a strange, orb-like Pokémon moved well out of his range. Inside of its gelatinous cell wall, it leafed through his wallet and pulled out his bank card, tossing the rest back at him with a shrill cry. "H-hey, give that back!"

The same drawling voice of the fisher cawed loudly, dragging his old feet through the sand towards the green Pokémon. "Is it so hard to accept hospitality, ya brat? Yer the one who came snoopin' around me, remember! It's not in Team Galactic's nature to help out folks, and here I was showin' you a streak of niceness!"

Wyatt squinted, his vision obscured by strange, moving blots of black and green from the pain in his back. His shirt almost felt heavy and wet, as if he were bleeding. "Team Galactic? What the hell is that?! What did that thing to do me?" Why didn't he just go home in the first place? Why on earth had he done this to himself? Idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot. It was his destiny to play second banana, to be a faceless nobody. This had to be his punishment for dreaming. "Just stay the hell away from me!"

"Duosion, get him outta here! I'm tired of lookin' at his face. Let the little boy go to Sandgem Town if he wants, I'd like ta see him try and get by without a bit o' cash on him." As the man spoke, the Pokémon began to glow and rocketed towards Wyatt, who barely had time to let out a cry of surprise. He merely covered his eyes, waiting for some sort of mortal impact that would leave him crumpled and dead. There was a split second of weightlessness that caused his stomach to flip-flop just once, and then there was nothing.

Trembling, he peered between his fingers and saw white. White blanketed everything; homely shops, red-roofed homes that looked to be built from wood, towering evergreens that held pounds of snow upon their branches. Clearly, he wasn't in Sunyshore anymore.

He ached. Letting out a groan, Wyatt rolled to his knees and did his best to stand, wobbling from side to side as the world seemed to spiral at a sickening tilt. Steam puffed between his lips as if he were a coal engine, and then he realized that he truly _had_ been teleported somewhere in Southwest Sinnoh. He was cold. No, that wasn't quite it. He was _freezing_. As panic began to settle down deep within his tendons, he grabbed Shinx's Pokéball and pressed the button along the center. "Please come out," he whispered through drying lips, ignoring the way this Pokéball felt so cold and empty. Even as the bottom part of the machine flopped open and revealed that there was certainly no Shinx in there, he threw it at the snow and called for his partner again. Of course, it gave no response but silence, the split ball seeming to laugh at him from the snow.

_'I was mugged,'_ he tried to calm himself, rubbing at his face with numbed fingers to quell his trembling. _'I just need to get in contact with the police. Shut off my card, yeah. They can track down Shinx with my Trainer ID, simple. I just need to calm down, and everything… Everything will be totally….' _

It seemed impossible that it had all happened in the span of a few minutes. One second he was pouting about losing to a genius he had no business trying to show off in front of, and now he was penniless, Shinxless, and feeling as if he'd just spent ten rounds in the ring with a Hariyama. His back was now burning, feeling as if it were bleeding freely from whatever attack he had been hit with before being whisked away. _'Well, you wanted an adventure, didn't you? Moron!'_ The rational side of his consciousness scoffed at his stupidity as tears budded and began to fall freely. "I screwed up!"


	2. Chapter II: Gracious Stranger

**Take the Stage**

**Chapter II: Gracious Stranger**

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**A/N 11/23/2019: There was a long note here when this story was up where I talked about how Wyatt was a character that I made back when I was a kid, and that I really enjoyed being able to share a bit of my past with you. That still stands. Thanks for reading. Chill out, grab some coffee, play some Pokémon, and let the silly voice on the ffnet app speak this story at you while you grind your Nuzlocke. Love ya.  
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Sandgem was a peaceful settlement, one that had always been deemed boring by outsiders. It lived like clockwork, rising to the sound of chirping Starly on clear days, tucking in for the evening as Kricketot began to play their cute (abhorrent, if one decided to perch outside of a window) songs. Much like Sunyshore City, this small nestled village had a rolling, beautiful beach with waters safe for children due to a natural rock barrier that outlined a southern route often used by trade boats. Unfortunately, this beach was always empty during all seasons except mid-summer, where the temperature was just barely tolerable. As a matter of fact, the blond teen who was trudging through sandy snow with his arms pulled into his thin white t-shirt was the only one who had walked upon this strip of land since late October. Of course, with his body temperature at an all time low and the invisible wound on his back causing every muscle to twitch, Wyatt Castillo didn't give a Rattata's ass about the history and upkeep of Sandgem Beach.

"I need help! Can anyone help me? Hello? I've been robbed!" His deep voice had gone hoarse quickly from calling for help in the cold sunset. His lips and tongue burned, feeling as if they were ripping open against the icy breeze. Vacant beach-houses lined the dunes with dark windows watching him, reminding him that soon it would be dark outside as well.

Wyatt couldn't bear the thought of leaving the area; Shinx had to be somewhere. There was no doubt that she was cold and frightened. She had never lived a day in the wild, nor spent more than a few hours out of his sight. Had she run into the ocean and drowned? Fear gripping his heart, he gave another call, moving closer to the cabanas and further from the watery breeze. "HELLO? SHINX? ANYONE? POLICE! I NEED HELP!"

He had never been in any sort of situation like this before. He had never fought in school, he'd never snuck out like most of his peers had, he'd never experienced any sort of crime first-hand and certainly had never heard of any Team Galactic. Sure, there were rumors of the nefarious Team Rocket, but seriously? Organized crime in _Sinnoh?_ He wasn't sure if it was funny or terrifying.

Actually, it was terrifying. Just terrifying.

Why had it become so dark so quickly? How much time had passed? He was feeling weak and considered laying down, just for a moment. He had always heard that sleeping when it was cold out was dangerous, but he only needed to close his eyes for a moment. Then, for sure, he would have the energy to search even harder for Shinx.

"Hey, what are you doing?" A clammy grip latched onto Wyatt's forearm, tugging on him as if to shake him from his fog as he recoiled and unleashed a screech.

As he began to blink in the darkness, the figure that grabbed him began to take shape. It was a lithe woman nearly two feet smaller than himself, impeccably dressed in a blue blazer and white slacks tucked into shiny boots. Steel colored hair blew all about her face, but she didn't seem to notice or care one bit about the chill as she offered him a bundle of black clothing, patiently waiting for him to take it.

"Put this on, and quickly. What are you doing?"

"T-thank you." He was nearly gurgling over his own words, trying to explain himself as quickly as possible. "Listen, I was robbed by an old man, my money is gone and I think my Shinx is gone, I don't know what to do and I'm really cold. C-can you call the police?" His story was expelled all in one breath as he squeezed into the much-too-small jacket.

The woman didn't bat an eyelash at his words nor the resounding popping of threads as he pulled the coat around him. Stormy eyes seemed to consider his story before she spoke again. "A Shinx was scratching at the door to my cabin a few moments ago, so I let it in. I thought it might be wild, however I doubt that. It was pretty fat."

"That's her, that's mine! Is she okay!?" Wyatt's voice cracked as his tone rose to a yell, causing the woman to take a step back. "You've gotta take me there, please!"

"It didn't seem very stressed. Why would I take a stranger like you to my lodge, and alone at that? I've no cause to believe you!" Her eyes narrowed slightly, causing Wyatt to grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Come on, I won't even go in! Just open the door and let her out! Please, Lady! Don't give me a hard time, I was attacked!"

She seemed to consider this, chewing on the inside of her cheek before whipping around and taking off at a quick march, almost jogging through the snow. Wyatt opened his mouth to call her back, prepared to get on his knees and plead for her help if need be, but she let out a low bark of "hurry up!"

He took off after her, his chapped lips trembling into a smile. "Thank you so much, really!"

She didn't look back or respond, instead pointing up a snow-covered dune. "It's this one right up here."

Like the others, the windows were dark and there seemed to be no bicycle or vehicle indicating that the place was occupied. The only thing that set this house apart from the others was the lack of snow on the porch. Though it fell steadily, the wooden railing, steps, and even empty plant pots were almost spotless in comparison to the porches upon the neighboring ones.

Wyatt worried about his Pokémon, knowing how much she disliked the dark. "You left Shinx alone in there?"

"Of course not! There's a fire burning in the back room. You can't see the smoke?"

As he glanced upward, he noticed it, billowing towards the snow-freckled blackness of the skyline. "Didn't notice it when I was freezin' my ass off," Wyatt quickly retorted, almost falling over the doorstep as his numbed toes bumped against the threshold. As the woman opened the door, heat met him face-first, thawing his nose and cheeks and causing the flakes to melt against his skin. The relief was gradual and unlike anything he had ever experienced. Slowly the warmth of the cottage seemed to melt and burn through his chill. "Where's Shinx?"

"Shee!" As if in response to his question, a squeak accompanied by scratching resonated just past a door to his left. Wyatt stumbled over and opened it with shaky hands, getting hit with it as the cub ran through the opening and slammed her blue-furred face against his ankles. He let out a laugh of absolute relief as she nuzzled against him, static tingling against his skin and causing his leg hairs to raise.

The woman was standing behind him, one hand upon a hip and the other tugging at a lock of hair that hung by her face. She tilted her head upwards with a nod at Wyatt. "There's no mistaking it, I suppose. It's your Pokémon. You'll be going now?"

Still a bit breathless, he held the purring Pokémon against him as his face furrowed in concern. "I can't thank you enough. Not just for letting her in, but being kind enough to take me back here to her. I know I'm already in your debt, but I really need to speak with the authorities. That Team Galactic man ripped off my bank card. I've gotta report that guy before he spends all my cash and does the same thing to the next sorry sucker!"

"Such a thing happened around here?" she narrowed her eyes, skeptical of his claim.

"No, no! I'm from Sunyshore, I was teleported here by that man's Pokémon!" His voice rose a bit as he spoke, disliking the way her expression remained unchanged. "Why are you making a face like you don't believe me? You trusted me enough to bring me into your home but you don't think I'm telling the truth!?" Shinx pawed at Wyatt's neck, urging him not to get so worked up.

"You claim it was Team Galactic that did this to you? I find that impossible to believe. Team Galactic is the name of an energy company. Your accusation makes little sense. They have a few buildings littered all over Sinnoh, but all they do is install solar panels and sell economy friendly air units and lighting fixtures." There was a pause as she moved around and perched on the edge of a couch, waving a hand to invite Wyatt to do the same. "They have a lot of employees, but the only crime Team Galactic has committed has been overtaking the clean energy market from Valley Windworks. How could one of them have attacked you? Have you really not heard of them? I would think they make massive business in a large city like Sunyshore."

He sat stiffly beside her, tension creeping back into his bones. Was this some joke? Or was she a part of them too? "I know what I heard, alright?"

"Interesting," she mused, reaching into her pocket and fishing out a phone. "Go ahead and make your report. You may be able to salvage your money and get a ride home, but if I were you… I might hold off on mentioning Team Galactic. Almost everyone in this town runs off of their clean energy plant. Stirring up trouble may not be the best idea."

The blond took her phone and ran his fingers over the buttons, his face screwed up in distaste. "I'm not about to lie to the police! Listen, I told you what happened and it's not like you're the one that I should be trying to convince!"

She shrugged, rolling her eyes at him. "Do whatever you like then, but they're not going to take you seriously." She stood and started to leave the room, hesitating for a moment as Wyatt started to search for the local police number. "…Listen. I'm normally the last person to do this sort of thing, but this cabin has a few empty rooms down the opposite hall. You can stay for the night—that's all—and then be on your way. Take a shower, catch a nap, get your situation settled."

Wyatt stared over his shoulder at her, blinking in surprise. It had looked like her features had softened for a moment; he had caught a sliver of kindness as dark as the snowy night sky. "W-wow, thank you. I'm really grateful, and I promise I'll pay you back." There was a ring on the other end of the phone, signaling that his call was going through. "I'm Wyatt Castillo, by the way."

She nodded, glancing down at Shinx as the little Pokémon curled her round body up at Wyatt's feet. "I'm-…" Her lips pressed together to respond, but then she paused, nodding at him as a voice echoed through the receiver. "-Glad you found your Pokémon."

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Sunlight filtered through the open window of the cabin, seeming to radiate right through Wyatt's eyelids. Sheer paper curtains did nothing to keep it out, just as they did a poor job of keeping the draft out. And yet, despite waking up cold, unrested, and with his back burning like fire, he felt like it was a good morning. Shinx was still asleep, curled up in a ball at his feet without a care in the world.

"You lazy critter!" He couldn't help but chuckle as he sat upright and rubbed his face, hearing his back and neck creak and pop. "That's one hell of a bad mattress…" As his eyes took in the dusty room, it seemed to dawn on him that he was, truly and officially, flat broke. His bank had been able to shut off his card, but there was no way to recover or withdraw the funds on it: they had already been used by the thief. His trainer ID could still be used to store and withdraw cash, but it was empty. Having money on that would require actually WINNING battles, and he had very little success with that in the past. All in all, the woman had been correct: the police did what they could to help him, but they were highly skeptical of his claim that he was targeted by a Team Galactic employee. Not only that, but when he described the man, they didn't even write a thing down. It was obvious that they thought he was lying about the culprit.

He sat upright and began to fish under the blanket for his socks. The most logical next step would be to earn enough cash to pick up a good coat and start making his way home. That meant battling, which also meant catching Pokémon to cover Shinx's weaknesses.

But once he got home, what would be waiting there for him? A gallant return to a life of mediocrity didn't really strike his fancy. The only friend he had was an older boy who had taken on the championships and become one of the Elite Four the year prior. It wasn't like anyone was waiting there for him...

"Shinx, we are going to take on the Sinnoh Gym Circuit!" Wyatt announced, sticking his fist out in her face. She slowly blinked and then yawned, thumping her nose against his hand. "What, you're not interested? Doesn't it sound fun? We can be so rich!"

She stretched and then rolled over on her back, resting her front paws flat on her round belly. "...Shee."

"Show a little enthusiasm. This is a big life decision, little lady." He opened his fist and grabbed her face, shaking her playfully as she attempted to bite the palm of his hand. "I guess we should at least thank the mystery lady for giving us a start. And for not killing us in our sleep."He unleashed a load groan as he popped his back and then padded out into the hallway, Shinx hot on his heels.

"Excuse me. Good morning, Miss? Are you here?" He called as he rounded the corner into the living room. "I-..."

Wyatt's words caught in his throat at the sight of a monstrous creature standing guard in the den. The thing had been waiting for him, it seemed. Its narrow yellow eyes were locked fiercely onto his face and a pair of massive red claws with glowing spots were raised, poised to strike. As he stared, mouth agape, the red beast began to snap its claws, making a horrendous noise that sounded like garden shears snipping at the air. It sounded heavy, it sounded sharp, and it sounded like it would slice the flesh right off of his bones.

It seemed to be daring him to take another step. And since he wasn't stupid enough to do that, it unfurled its transparent wings and began to vibrate them with such ferocity that the papers scattered on the coffee table began to whip about the room.

When it finally bolted at him with a speed faster than his eyes could follow, he was hit with a miserable realization: his journey was over before he even put his shoes on.


	3. Chapter III: Friend, or Something

**Take the Stage**

**Chapter III: Friend, or Something.**

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**A/N: 11/23/2019: Hi, yep, uh huh, go ahead and read! Review! Go, go, go! Love ya. **

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His instinct was to turn and run, but in that vital moment where a massive metal beast was flying at him with the intention of splitting his fleshy human body in twain, Wyatt made the completely irrational decision to default to his video game skills.

_'No, NO! You're going to get stun-locked running away from an AOE! Roll INTO the attack for the most i-frames!' _

For no reason whatsoever, he could hear the voice of his old neighbor buddy yelling into his ear about how to beat the first boss in Dark-Type Souls. Perhaps this was one of those moments that people described as "seeing your entire life flash before your eyes." Without further thought, he slammed his eyes shut and started to run headfirst at the Pokémon. Had his eyes been OPEN, he would have seen that one massive claw was going to piston right into his squishy face, a blow that most certainly would have maimed him.

By the grace of some higher life form, the monster was intercepted from its left side. It was slammed by some other creature with enough force to knock it off course and send it smashing through the wall. A clear getaway towards the open front door lay before Wyatt and he took it, stumbling clumsily over his own feet.

Just before he barreled outside, the woman from the night before stepped into the door frame. He clumsily smashed into her and felt Shinx's fuzzy body smack against the back of his own calves.

"We've GOT to GO!" He barked, trying to squeeze past her. "Just RUN!"

She shoved him off of her with surprising force, taking half a second to brush her clothing off as if his touch had offended her. "Don't try to run. She will give chase." Her voice was low and calm despite the chaos.

"She?" He balked. The woman stepped past him just as the two creatures picked themselves up and began to tussle. He recognized the Pokémon that rescued him as a Lucario; they were quite popular on kid's super hero TV shows. The red devil was well over twice the size of the lithe canine Pokémon. It was swinging its claws wildly as the Lucario pounced again and again, trying to seek out a tender opening in which to sink its jaws.

"Astrid, enough!" The woman barked. In one fluid movement, the Lucario jumped back out of the range of the other Pokémon's claws and darted to the woman's side. Now the feral mantis was staring down the new arrival with malicious intent. Just as it had done with Wyatt, it began to flutter its wings violently.

"That's what it did before it-…" Wyatt tried to warn her, but the woman took a step towards the giant Pokémon. It was huge, as tall as Wyatt who was every bit of six feet. "Stop it, what are you doing? It's going to charge at you!"

"That's enough! I've had ENOUGH! Do you understand?!" The woman shouted, causing Wyatt, Shinx, and the Lucario to shrink back in surprise.

The Pokémon ceased the whirring of it's wings and took two steps closer, hunching down ever so slightly to meet the woman eye to eye. It raised its claws to display the bright eye-spots on them and hissed at her, daring her to take another action.

Wordlessly, she held up a black and blue sphere and the creature was gone in a flash of red light. Just like that, it was over.

"T-that thing is yours? You own it?" Wyatt finally asked, feeling his knees go weak. He collapsed onto the couch as his heart rate finally began to slow back to a normal, steady pace. "Why was it… what's… ugh…" His hands were trembling. "I thought I was gonna die."

"She must have broken her normal Pokéball. How on earth…" The woman mused to herself, looking troubled. "You! Did you let her out?"

"N-no! I woke up like, ten minutes ago and walked out here! I think you need to be apologizing to me instead of interrogating me, you know! My life was at stake!"

She blinked at him as she squeezed the Pokéball tight in her hand, trying to decide whether or not he was telling the truth.

"At least tell me who you are. I don't even know your name," he demanded, lowering his voice a notch. He hadn't realized that he had been shouting at her.

"It's Mai. Mai Sullivan."

"Why do you have a Pokémon like that? And a Lucario, too? Are you a part of the Elite Four?"

The Lucario bristled at the mention of its presence. Red eyes locked onto Wyatt's face for just a moment before the Pokémon took a step back and inched behind its trainer, tail swishing.

"No, I'm not. I take care of abandoned Pokémon for the Aether Foundation. With the exception of a couple of my own, my team consists of Pokémon that need some form of rehabilitation. Obviously, Iza—that's the Scizor- has had a very turbulent life. And, just as obviously, she doesn't seem to respect me one bit…"

"Aether? They're like Pokémon Rangers, right? They're the group that protects wildlife in Alola."

"Something like that." Mai pushed her hair back from her forehead, letting out a sigh as she looked around the room. "This place is a wreck. I can't afford these type of repairs!"

"You look like you're loaded…" Wyatt grumbled under his breath, though Mai apparently heard him.

"Just because I mind my appearance doesn't mean you should assume that I have plenty of money. Are you going to help me pay for this place? You did rile up Iza, after all."

"You're kidding, right?! I'm going to have to challenge every ten-year-old strutting into Sandgem Town to even afford a coat, lady! Shinx and I have to eat!"

"Fine, fine. Just… calm yourself. Of course I don't expect you to pay. …So you really do have nothing?"

"That looks to be the case. I'm not in a huge rush to get home so I thought I might as well try my hand at the Gym Circuit, but I can't afford a single Pokéball. I know the nearest Gym Leader and he counters Shinx pretty well, so it's not like I can bum-rush him and get a good lump of cash…"

"I see." She gave pause, tapping her forefinger against her chin. "Let's at least get you to the Pokémon Center and get Shinx a clean bill of health. Plenty of travelers come through, so we might be able to get you into a battle along the way."

"Uh, sure…" He grumbled, giving Shinx a worried side-eye that she returned. Winning wasn't their forte. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even footnoted on his resume. "Just give me a moment to get my stuff together and we can head out."

"You don't have any stuff."

"Oh, right…"

* * *

"This will be easy, okay Shinx?" Wyatt whispered to his Pokémon as he sized up his opponent. The poor kid he was facing couldn't be much older than eight, but it was the first person to accept his challenge. Mai stood a good distance away, her arms crossed as she tried to look as disassociated from Wyatt as possible. Nothing to see here, they certainly weren't a duo of late teens facing down a tiny child whose Pokémon was likely the family pet.

"I hope you're ready Buster because we're gonna CRUSH you!" The little one chimed, tossing a Pokéball as high as he could into the air.

_'Am I even allowed to beat him? It just seems cruel…' _Wyatt wondered as he watched the Pokéball descend and burst open upon impact with the snow. His concerns were quickly replaced with shock as the form of a massive Infernape took shape before his eyes.

"Are you ready, Chip?!" The kid yapped loudly, earning a chorus of excited trilling from his partner.

"Oh, my…" Mai uttered, dropping her forehead into her palms.

"Opponent gets the first move…" Wyatt uttered. He barely got the words out of his mouth before the little one shouted a command.

"Close Combat! Make it a one-hit knock-out!"

"Shee…?" Shinx turned to stare at Wyatt with sparks of worry causing her hair to stand on end.

"Get ready to dodge!" Wyatt commanded. Shinx let out a squeal as if to say '_are you kidding me?'_ She had no further time to protest before the Infernape was upon her, winding up a series of punches.

Channeling her inherent abilities, Shinx leaped straight up, clearing the Infernape's head by a good few inches. She had avoided the punches!

…And before she could even celebrate, the monkey quickly reached up and grabbed her tail, snatching her out of the air and slamming her to the ground in one fluid motion. The wind was knocked out of her lungs in one powerful squeak as she stared up at the sky wondering if this was the end of her pathetic life.

"Shiiinx!" Wyatt called, but his partner only responded with a defeated mewl. "Okay, okay! You win! Return that thing!" He called to the kid as he ran to Shinx and scooped her up. "Shinx! …That was awful."

A small hand appeared in Wyatt's face. "Payment, please!" The kid chortled, looking mighty pleased with himself.

"I… uh, payment…" Wyatt deadpanned. He certainly hadn't expected to lose. What did he even have as payment? "I don't… have any money…"

"Oh." The kid blinked his giant eyes, scanning Wyatt's form. Just as the blond thought he was going to catch a break, the little trainer pointed at his left arm. "Your Pokétch is cool! Can I have that?"

"What? Hell no!" He covered his mouth as the child puffed out his cheeks. "I mean… heckin' no!"

"Official League Rules state that a challenging trainer must pay out and amount equal to 1/5 of their monthly earnings if they lose a battle that they initiated. And trainers who break the league rules can face a fine and potential suspension from the Sinnoh League." The child suddenly rattled off, hands on his hips. "…My mom is a League Tournament Officiator."

"Well don't brag about it," Wyatt snapped under his breath, pulling his watch from his wrist. "Fine, here. You earned it, I guess."

"Yay! I've never had one of these. Thanks, Loser!"

Before Wyatt could even react, the little one and his Infernape were taking off back towards Twinleaf Town.

"I just got insulted and held up all over again…"

"That was quite a display of power from such a small child." Mai approached Wyatt. "Both in terms of his Pokémon and his knowledge. I bet he is in charge of all of the other second graders at recess."

"Don't make it worse…" He groaned, setting Shinx back down on the ground. Her sparks were starting to irritate him and she didn't seem to be wounded too badly to walk on her own. As soon as his hands were off of her, she whipped around and hissed at him, swishing her tail in anger.

"Hey, don't get mad at me! It's not my fault!" The pair began to bicker back and forth, completely unable to understand one another. Their egos were damaged too severely not to fight about it, though.

Mai looked from the Shinx to Wyatt, her stormy expression unreadable. "I could train with you, if you wanted."

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Oh, sure. And have your Scizor behead me?"

"I have another Pokémon that she could train with. At least to get back in shape. Of course, it would be a work in progress, but every day, little by little…"

"What do you mean every day? Do you plan on sticking around for a while?" Wyatt interrupted her. This question seemed to take Mai by surprise. She withdrew her words, looking embarrassed.

"I, ah, no… I expect that you plan on taking on the league. My work doesn't require me to be in any particular place at any certain time, so I could work as I travel and it would make sense that the best way to travel is in at least a group of two or more, so-…"

"Whoah, calm down. I wasn't saying that you couldn't stick around." A goofy half-smile started to take shape on his face. "So we're like, friends now?"

"I have to admit that I do feel responsible for you. You're naive and weak. If something were to happen to you, any authorities would trace your trail right back to me and then ask me why I didn't do more to help such an inept trainer."

Aaaand his smile was gone. "Okay, so that stings a bit, but sure. Friends."

She seemed flustered, hands squeezed into fists held taught at her sides. "I don't know you, Mr. Castillo."

"Uh, so? That's how friends work. You meet someone, you get along, you become friends, then you get to know them more as time passes. Friend. Noun. It's a pretty basic concept. Have you, like, never had friends before or something?" He laughed, a hand on his hip. The way that she squared her shoulders and then cleared her throat made him think perhaps his joke had been right on the money. Now he _truly_ felt like an ass, as if his resounding defeat didn't already do that.

An awkward silence fell over the pair for a moment before Wyatt started to speak up and change the subject. "So… you said you wanted to train, right? Will it be with Lucario?"

She shook hear head no. "My Murkrow would be the perfect agility training partner for your Shinx. He's quick and tenacious, and he is admittedly the team member that I have the most in-battle control of. She could toughen up her legs by practicing pouncing. That's something that should come natural for feline Pokémon, I might add."

"That sounds great! When can we start?"

"Let's at least get back into town first. We have to eat something."

"Your treat?" Wyatt asked hopefully.

"Ah, right… Sure. Oh, and Mr. Castillo?" She caught him by the elbow as he started to jog back towards the entrance of town. "My Lucario's name is Astrid. Please be sure that you call him that. Don't refer to him as 'Lucario.'"

"Er, right. Astrid. Got it. But if that's the case, you've got to stop calling me Mr. Castillo. It's just Wyatt."

"Just Wyatt. Yes, of course."

* * *

**In which our good man does what he does best: fails. And it's only just beginning. See you later! Next chapter prepare to meet a "legendary" Pokémon. **


	4. Chapter IV: Bright Red

**Take the Stage**

**Chapter Four: Bright Red**

* * *

"You aren't gonna eat anything?" Wyatt paused in his conquest of a massive pile of fried eggs, pointing at Mai's plate with his fork as he spoke through the food in his mouth. "You really need to protein up. It helps with the cold, you know?"

She watched a spray of eggy bits escape his mouth and grimaced, looking away in disgust as he swiped it off of the table with a dirty napkin. "I had toast."

"Yeah, with no butter or anything. What's wrong with you? Do you always eat like a bird Pokémon? In Sunyshore, folks stay so busy and active that food is the only chance we get to really relax and refuel. I take it you're not from someplace bustling, huh?"

She eyed the shape of his biceps through his shirt and opened her mouth to make a comment. Deciding not to, she picked up her water and took a tiny sip. "You think you could insinuate where I'm from based on my appetite?"

"Oh, sure!" He forked a sausage off of her plate and offered it under the table to Shinx, who grabbed it greedily. "Folks from Jubilife tend to be more overweight because of all the access to fast food and delivery services to their office. And then the places west of Sunyshore are all fertile fields and herd Pokémon, so folks eat good, healthy food. Never try to arm wrestle a gal from the fields of Solaceon, let me tell you."

"Right…" Mai shook her head, folding her hands in her lap. "You're more observant that I took you for."

"Uh-huh. So if I had to take a guess…" He hummed, squinting at her. "You're pretty pale, and you have really good posture. And the cold doesn't bother you much, huh? How is Snowpoint City as a guess?"

"Not even remotely close," she scoffed, though a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "That's guess number one."

"Oh!" He snapped his fingers. "I remember now. You mentioned Aether, so I'm not even thinking the right region. But wait a minute, how did you travel Alola and come out looking like that? You should be a toned, tanned babe."

"Wrong." She answered quickly, looking irate. His comment seemed to strike the wrong chord with her. "I'm from Kanto."

"You didn't even give me a third guess…" He lamented, though it only lasted for a moment. He paused in chugging his orange juice to bob his head in agreement. "Oh, yeah! That's the accent for sure! I've only ever met one other person from Kanto so I didn't realize how familiar it sounded. How did you go from Kanto to Alola to Sinnoh, though?"

The pair of them jumped as Mai's phone began to vibrate on the table, inching itself towards the edge. Wyatt caught it before it fell, glancing at the screen despite knowing that he shouldn't. He didn't get to read the name before Mai was halfway over the table.

"Don't touch that!" She snapped, snatching it out of his hand. Quickly she swiped and pressed it to her ear, half-turning in her booth so that she wasn't facing Wyatt. "Yes, what?"

"Yikes. My bad." He shrugged at Shinx, who rolled her eyes at him. Since walking back into town after his defeat, he had been trying—and failing—to be kind in some capacity. Mai seem to rebuke his every question about her. She wasn't outright rude, as a matter of fact he had gotten an actual interesting conversation out of her about fishing once they arrived at the Pokémon Center, but it was nearly impossible to relate to someone who wouldn't give him an inch to work with. The subject of herself was OFF LIMITS.

Getting along with other guys was much easier, but he admittedly hadn't made friends with a woman before. There were girls from school, but that was just it: they had been girls. Schoolwork, Pokémon, video games, makeup, boyfriends, that kind of thing. Mai was the same age as him but she clearly didn't act like she was on the same maturity level. He half expected that if he asked her about boys or makeup, she would just start doing her taxes and ignoring him.

"I feel like an idiot," he admitted. Shinx mewled, just assuring him of how stupid he probably looked.

"Thank you, sir, but that really isn't necessary…" Mai mumbled mutely into the phone. "…No, I understand." She heaved a sigh and then put her phone back on the table, reaching into her purse. "Honestly."

"Everything alright?" Wyatt offered. She wordlessly pulled out a bit of cash and sat it on the table before scooting out of the booth.

"We should get going. You definitely are going to need a coat before nightfall."

"Yeah, but I still haven't earned any money yet," he protested.

Mai tucked her bag over her right shoulder, pulling her slate hair free from the strap. "Let's just go, please."

The two headed out of the cozy café and were embraced by the chill of an ocean breeze that worked in stark contrast to the blinding sun. They both squinted in the light for a brief moment while Mai pulled out her phone again, typing furiously.

"Just a block from here is a sporting store. Let's go." She glanced both ways before crossing the street, following the directions on her phone. Just as her feet began to follow the sidewalk west, Wyatt stopped her by grabbing her elbow. She recoiled and pulled free, turning to him with frustration etched onto her features.

"Hey, Mai, listen-…"

"Do not touch me."

His tone was serious and stern, quite the contrast to his normal cadence. "No, seriously, listen. I'm not okay with you buying anything for me. A meal was bad enough, but you can't seriously be thinking about paying for a coat. I know I may seem like a loser, but I can be self-sufficient. And if I can't then I'm tough enough to hold out until I catch a break."

She seemed frustrated, but the anger didn't touch her eyes. "Are you dense? This _is_ your break."

"No, you don't get it!" He let out a groan, pushing his messy blond locks off of his forehead. "It feels… bad. It just feels bad, alright? It makes me feel useless. Why would you even bother helping me? You clearly don't want to talk to me or anything like that. I have nothing to offer you."

She gave him an exasperated look. "Your ego will be just fine. Have you ever truly been without something that you need, Mr. Castillo?"

"Well, I mean, I am right now."

"But you are not hungry yet. You are not frozen yet. You are not faced with a life or death situation, nor have your found yourself in a position where your morals are put into question over your survival."

He didn't have much to say to that. "Well, yeah…"

"Then just take what I am offering you and make plans to pay me back in the future. Besides, it isn't my money. My Chief just transferred funds to me. Think of it as winning a lottery ticket! Completely impartial." A small smile touched her lips, though it was only brief.

"Ugh, that's even worse! I can't spend someone else's money!"

She started to walk again, giving pause after a few steps to make sure he was coming along. Indeed he was. Mai adjusted her bag and tightened her coat to the wind, short legs moving faster. "If you were to find $10 on the sidewalk and there was not a soul around to claim it, would you not take it for yourself?"

"Are you kidding? Of course not! With my luck, the owner would be some cop who was filming the whole thing to broadcast it on Jubilife TV, and then my dumb face would be plastered everywhere!" He kicked a pebble mid-step as his teeth chattered from the cold. "Or… it would be some old woman who slipped and fell and needed that ten bucks to pay for a can of food for her Glameow. But now, her hip is broken and she has nothing to put down towards the treatment for a replacement AND her Glameow is now hungry. All because some ass kept the money that slipped out of her pocket."

Mai listened to his rambling with a bemused smile stuck to her features, shrugging her shoulders in agreement. "I would simply keep the money if nobody claimed it."

"Well that doesn't make you much better than a thief who would steal from a grandma," Wyatt teased. "You're just cruel."

Before long they pushed their way into a small sporting goods store, eager to be out of the cold. Wyatt didn't know where to start or if it would even be polite to point to anything he wanted, but Mai quickly made her way over to the backpacks and beckoned him over.

"What color?"

"I, ah…"

"Answer," she commanded, having none of his sheepish nonsense. Almost fearfully he pointed to a green one with an abundance of pockets. She grabbed it from the hanger without so much as checking the price tag and then was gone down towards the aisle of coats and climbing gear. "What size do you wear?"

"Uh…" He scanned the rack of coats. "I like them large, I guess…"

"Find a warm one. One that is reversible for poor weather. Or perhaps we could just find a thin weather coat to wear over a warm furry coat. We could start small and then build up a better selection of coats as you start earning money. Blue would look excellent on you, though a nice steel would look nice as well. Hm…"

"I like this one." He grabbed a black coat with a sorrel colored furry collar and slipped into it, making sure that it was long enough. His height always seemed to make buying coats and long pants a hassle, which was why he stuck to tank tops and basketball shorts. Besides, winter didn't exist in Sunyshore.

"Excellent. Keep it on." In a flash she had grabbed the backpack and was gone down another aisle, tossing this and that into it. It took all that Wyatt had to not get left behind. He was hit with the sudden unpleasant experience of having lost his grandpa in the department store and that childhood fear was making him all the more eager to just be done.

By the time they checked out, the pack was filled to bursting with Pokeballs, hooks for climbing, two changes of clothes, a brand new pack of socks and underwear, shampoo, conditioner, and collapsible trays for food and storage. He couldn't even keep track of the items as they slid over the counter at checkout. As a bored cashier rang up the items, Wyatt caught himself staring through the glass below the counter.

A myriad of new Poketch were on display. They were rugged, stylish, sturdy, labeled with impossible promises, and wildly expensive.

"I'll take one of those as well. With a warrantee." Mai tapped on the glass, causing Wyatt to stand upright in shock.

"Hey, that better be for you!" He protested.

"Yours was stolen. You need a means of communication. A map, at the least." Her tone gave him no room to argue, but this time he stood his ground.

"Mai, seriously, that's not okay! There's no way I can repay you in this lifetime for something like that! I refuse!"

"…Fine." She sighed. "Perhaps I got a bit too carried away. Shopping quickly is such a rush."

"Yeah, even moreso when it's someone else's money, huh?" This was uttered under his breath and out of earshot for fear that she would change her mind and put everything back. He picked up Shinx and headed towards the door, praying that he could make it outside before the cashier could announce the total cost and make his head spin. "Yikes. Can this really be okay? I feel guilty as hell letting her buy all that stuff."

"Shee!" The cub chirped, though he didn't know whether it was in agreement to his statement or in approval over the fact that she, too, was getting new stuff.

He sat down on the bench near the door and found his gaze locked on the mounted TV. It was the standard news fare, on-the-spot weather with Helena (cold, reporting in from Snowpoint City, DUH!) and an update on the stocks. Wyatt watched with disinterest until a familiar face flashed up on the screen. Slowly his arms unfolded as he recognized the wildfire hair and goofy grin of his next door neighbor on the screen.

"Oh wow, it's Flint!" He laughed, pointing at the TV. Mai was striding over laden down with bags. She followed his point and turned her head up to the screen.

"You must be a fan."

"No! Well, I mean, yeah! We grew up together!"

"Is he-…"

"SHUSH!" he silenced Mai quickly as the cashier turned up the volume for him with the remote, popping her gum loudly as she leaned over the counter.

The man performing the interview pointed a mic at the young man's face. "Flint! You have just defeated your tenth challenger since you were appointed as the Sinnoh League's Elite Four! How does it feel?!"

"Uh…." The redhead seemed completely at a loss for words as he slouched, staring at the camera as if it had caught him off guard. "Uhm..." And then, by some blessed occurrence, it seemed to click that he was on national television and his entire demeanor changed from completely terrified to bright and booming. "It was a heated battle! Every fight is tougher than the last, and that's that! The Sinnoh League brings out some of the brightest and strongest trainers in the world and I'm thankful to… uh… can I restart?"

"This is live, sir…" the interviewer muttered quietly.

"Charming," Mai uttered sarcastically, folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh. OH! I'm thankful to be a representative of what we have to offer! If the heavens aren't ablaze in your eyes, don't even bother knocking on our door, got it?!"

"Amazing!" The reporter chirped. "Mr. Flint, what is the best part of your experience so far? You've only just joined the Elite Four six months ago. How has your life changed?"

"The best part about all of this is the battles without a doubt! Nothing makes my blood boil like really going toe to toe with someone that oozes spirit! …What was your other question?"

"That's all the time we have for today! This is Johnson with Jubilife TV, signing off!"

"Heavens ablaze in your eyes..." Mai repeated. "Hm, where have I heard that before?"

"It's a line from a song by some scream-o band. He's been saying it since 8th grade when he decided he was cooler than everyone else." He quickly grabbed the bag that Mai had placed on the floor, darting to the door. "Hey, come on, let's get to Jubilife!"

"Excuse me? I thought we were going to train. That's a two-hour trek by foot."

"That's nothing! Come on, I have to get there before he heads back to the League! I haven't seen Flint in like a year!"

"So you aren't lying? You're truly friends with someone in the Elite Four?" She sounded half-impressed.

Wyatt didn't feel the need to confess that they mostly just played video games and talked about girls. "Suddenly I'm cool, huh? Let's go ahead and get there so you can get an autograph."

"I don't want an autograph from some man I've never even heard of," Mai scoffed as the pair of them left the store and started to make their way to the town gates to the north.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew how strong he was."

* * *

They walked in silence until the road gave way to dirt paths and the buildings were further and further apart, giving way to trees and bushes. Unlike before, now that their bellies were full and their backs were laden, the lack of conversation didn't seem awkward. It was natural. Of course, Wyatt was still bursting with questions, but now that he was cozy and focused on keeping his eyes on the trail, it didn't seem like a priority to bombard Mai with them.

_'Maybe this won't be a nightmare after all,' _he thought. A stupid smile was stuck to his features. _'I'm actually a trainer. Training. Traveling. Take that, world!' _

"Would you mind if Astrid read your aura?" Mai spoke up suddenly, turning her steely gaze up at Wyatt.

"Uh, what?" He blinked, trying to make sense of her sudden request. "Does it hurt?"

"Of course not. I'm just curious about your color."

"My color is tan. Or do you mean my favorite color? Probably dark blue, like the ocean. Yours?"

She rolled her eyes, though it took her a moment to realize that he was being a clown. Wordlessly she withdrew Astrid's Pokeball and released him. In a flash of white, the lupine Pokémon appeared.

He gave a good shake as if waking up from a fine nap and blinked up at Mai.

"Hello there. Would you mind telling me what color Wyatt's aura is?" She asked politely. The Pokémon gave a single nod and then turned to Wyatt, cocking his head.

Wyatt expected to see or hear something, perhaps even feel something, but the creature just looked at him and then looked back at Mai unceremoniously, letting out a quiet bark.

"I wouldn't have guessed that," she tsked, folding her arms.

"What, what did he say?!" Wyatt snapped, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable. "What goes into an aura-reading, anyways?!"

"Calm down, there is no such thing as a bad aura. Yours is a brilliant red."

"That sounds bad. Does it mean I'm like, angry? Aggressive? I can promise you that I'm not."

Mai shook her head. "None of those things. Bright red is passion, competitiveness, sexuality, and brilliance."

Wyatt's cheeks lit up as if attempting to match his supposed aura. "You have no business aura-ing my sexuality."

"I didn't. He did." Mai waved nonchalantly at Astrid as he glowered at her. "An aura like yours is one that Astrid could use, you know. He can manipulate the energy that an aura manifests into. Only certain colors, of course."

"So what color is yours?"

She cut her gaze towards the ground. "One that he can't use."

"Oh, come on! You have to tell me! He just frisked me to learn mine!"

"It's yellow-orange, but every time he focuses on it, it turns to gray. It's so frustrating! I can't even offer support to my own Pokémon." She admitted, her voice tinted with shame.

Wyatt scratched his head. "Orange is close to red, right? Why can't he use it? That doesn't make sense."

"It isn't like that. Yellow-orange is just one type of aura that doesn't work well for him. And gray is completely useless. It's less of a type of aura and more of an absence of one. Or perhaps a stifling of one. It's also why I have such a hard time understanding him when he tries to use telepathy."

"I had no idea that he was telepathic. Seriously?" Wyatt stared at the creature in disbelief, hoping to hear a voice in his head. Nothing. Just a blank, red-eyed stare.

"He isn't going to talk to you if he doesn't trust you."

"Why don't you trust me? I have a bright red aura!"

"That has nothing to do with it!"

Their conversation was interrupted as a brown blob darted out of the bushes and dashed towards their feet. Mai let out a squeak of shock and quickly jumped back, stumbling over Astrid in the process. He let out a whimper and turned tail to bolt, but both of them stopped when they recognized their assailant was not a threat.

"Oh! It's just a Bidoof. I thought…" she trailed off, sounding horribly embarrassed as the critter set its sight on Wyatt's shoes. It reared back, mouth wide open, to latch onto his toes.

"HEY! No! These are brand new!" He didn't want to kick it but with every step he took backwards it closed the distance. "Shinx, help!"

"Shee!" The cub called, jumping off of his shoulder with glee. Finally, a Pokémon of her skill level! She let loose a small electric jolt to catch its attention and stood on guard, ready to duke it out.

The Bidoof turned around, pawing at the ground as it prepared to charge her. Shinx pounced and went for the throat with a bite just as its heavy body collided with hers. They two attacks sent both Pokémon flying backwards. They locked gazes and then suddenly were violently tussling, squeaking and honking as they stirred up snow and fur into the air.

"Shinx? Be careful, that thing could be diseased! Don't get bitten!" Wyatt called. He noted that Astrid was watching with his ears raised and his eyes wide. _'Is he about to eat them?!' _"Cut it out, that's enough!"

At his command Shinx jumped back, standing victorious over the wild Pokémon. She beamed up at Wyatt and let out a battle shriek, one that was zero percent intimidating.

"Pokeball." Mai hinted quietly. Wyatt fumbled in his bag before fishing one out, heart pounding in his chest. He started to throw it but the pressure of being watched made him hesitate. What if he missed? Instead, he ran forward and thew himself onto the Pokémon, knocking the wind out of it as he squashed it. He tapped the Pokeball against whatever part of it was under his arm, feeling it vanish right from under him. He squeezed the ball tight as it shook once and then grew still in his hand. It was warmer and heavier: there was most certainly an occupant in there.

"I think I caught it," he announced to Mai, still looking starstruck. "I think I caught a Pokémon."

"Congratulations," she smiled.

"You saw that, right? I had to do something. It was going to destroy my shoes."

"Wyatt…" She lowered her head and let out a sheepish laugh. "Why are you trying to justify catching a Pokémon?"

"Whoah," he whispered breathlessly. "I caught a Pokémon."

"Yes. You defeated and then squished your very own Pokémon."

"An actual Pokémon."

Mai let out a sigh, holding out a hand to help pull him up. "Let's keep walking, Pokémon Master."


	5. Chapter V: Prideful Idiot

**Take the Stage**

**Chapter Five: Prideful Idiot**

* * *

**_A/N: A gold nugget to whoever guesses the name of the prideful idiot in this chapter. This is a long one, but I started writing and didn't stop. Here we GoooOOOoOo! Also, I had a name for Wyatt's Shinx, but I thought it would be more fun to let you guys name her! She will be needing a nickname soon. Drop a suggestion in a review or PM! Preferably with a reason. Keep in mind not to give me the name of another fictional character, it needs to be something original._**

* * *

"Be careful, Doof!"

Wyatt caught hold of his Bidoof with both hands around its middle right before it tumbled headfirst into the marble fountain of the Jubilife town square. It had been perched on the side and had become transfixed on a pair of Goldeen swimming about just beneath the surface.

"I don't want you drowning before I actually think of a good name for you," Wyatt scolded as he sat the heavy critter back on the side of the fountain carefully.

"I think Bidoof live by water, don't they? I highly doubt a Pokémon adept at swimming and fishing is going to drown in a fountain." Mai remarked, not looking up from her phone.

Wyatt stared into Bidoof's big, vacant eyes as if searching for the signs of intelligent life. "Is that true? You were probably just hunting those Goldeen then, huh? You can't do that. The Jubilife police will be putting you in handcuffs for murder."

"Bidoo," was his response. The creature had no idea what Wyatt was saying, nor did he have any way to communicate to the human what 'Bidoo' even meant.

Shinx had been with him for so many years that the language barrier rarely caused any confusion. When she was angry, hungry, sassy, sad, or sick, he was able to understand just by the twitch of her nose or her posture. The boy had assumed that every Pokémon he caught would connect with him that same way, but the reality of it was that Bidoof was as much a stranger to him as he was before he caught him. As a matter of fact, he was terrified of being bitten by those giant teeth as revenge for beating him up. Those beady eyes didn't communicate anything for him to work with.

He did still count himself lucky that Bidoof didn't try to run away and seemed, for the most part, content to be a part of the team with little resistance. The idea of dealing with a Pokémon like Mai's Scizor terrified him. What would he do if he caught a Pokémon that wanted nothing to do with him? One that decided, no matter what, that it would never accept him? In a situation like that, was it better to set the Pokémon free or would that be akin to abandoning them?

Thankfully, he didn't have to give that much thought in the present. His team consisted of two perfectly tame little dopes and that was just fine by him for the time being. The rest of their trip had been pleasant, even with Bidoof out and about.

"Do you really expect that we can just stand in the town square in the largest city in the region and we will happen upon your friend?" Mai asked, a touch of sarcasm in her tone.

"Oh, there he is!" Wyatt shouted, pointing into the dissipating crowd. "Coming out of Jubilife TV! Check it out!"

Mai thought he was kidding. However, as the citizens went about their way, the same lad who had been on TV nudged his way through the thinning crowd. She heard Wyatt inhale loudly before he let out an ear-shattering call of "HEY, FLINT!" at a volume that she had never anticipated.

The other man gave paused and looked to his left and right before finally catching sight of his friend. His response was a just as loud "HEY THERE!" that caught the wandering bystanders off guard and sent them either scuttling away or staring in surprise.

"It's ME!" Wyatt shouted, waving his arms to beckon him over.

"YEAH, I KNOW!" Flint shouted back, tossing his hand up in the air as he started to saunter his way over to them. Mai turned away from the both of them and tried to look, once again, as disassociated from Wyatt as possible as she pretended to check her phone. She was merely a bystander who happened to be hovering about the same fountain. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Heya!" Flint exclaimed again, dropping a heavy hand on Wyatt's shoulder as the blond bleated another greeting for what might have been the fourth time. "What are you doing all the way out here, dude? You're a long ways from Sunyshore!"

"It's a long story."

"Hey, I've got time! Seriously…" his volume lowered to a tolerable volume for the first time since he had started speaking. "…This gig is something else. The battles are great but there are hardly ANY challengers! Seriously! None! So the rest of the time I'm just sitting there, you know? Imagine sitting in a stuffy office for six months and only getting in like ten battles. I gained a ton of weight."

"Heh. Like a whole two pounds. Getting rich and fat must be a real hassle." Wyatt muttered.

"At least Volkner gets to do something all day. Hey, you challenged him again, right? Is he slackin' off?"

"Uh…" Wyatt looked at Shinx, who shot him an accusatory glare. The last time he challenged Volkner had been just the day before. As a matter of fact, he was sulking on the beach because he had lost to Volkner for what might have been the tenth time. "It's been a while. He's probably been too focused on his energy program to really train much."

"I don't get it. He could just turn over his stupid energy program to Team Galactic and focus on being an ACTUAL gym leader! It's so frustrating! I would have killed to be in charge of Sunyshore Gym!"

At the mention of Team Galactic, Mai glanced over her shoulder to turn her right ear towards them. Flint caught the motion and dropped his hands on his hips.

"Hey you! Lady! I see you eavesdropping!" He barked loudly. Mai's shoulders tensed as she froze in place, completely speechless.

"She's not eavesdropping, she's with me," Wyatt quickly explained. "Right, Mai? You could have at least said hi."

She robotically turned to face them as she slipped her phone into the front right pocket of her white pants. "Hello," she uttered weakly. Despite her greeting, her voice was cold and not even the slightest hint of a smile touched her face.

"She's been a pretty big help. I've only technically been on the road for a day, so…" Wyatt paused and cleared his throat. He didn't know why he didn't tell Flint about what actually happened, but the thought of his famous friend judging him for getting robbed and then rescued like a lost child just seemed like too much to deal with in public. Perhaps later when he had at least something to show for his time traveling.

"Well, heya! I'm Flint."

"Okay," she said with such finality that it was clear their conversation was over.

Wyatt internally groaned. _'The social butterfly really has a way with meeting new folks, huh…'_

Flint, not one to admit defeat, started to stick out a hand to shake hers. Wyatt had a creeping suspicion that Mai would just stare at it like an fool as if she didn't know what to do with it. Thankfully it didn't come to that. Astrid, who had been standing behind Mai, let out a loud bark and stuck his head in the space between her side and her right arm.

"Stop that," she muttered, gently covering his face with her palm as she attempted to block his view of Flint. He pulled away from her palm and pushed his way in front of her, leveling a glare up at the redhead. "Astrid, cut it out!"

Wyatt couldn't help but notice that Mai's strong voice had actually wavered and he began to wonder for the first time if perhaps Astrid wasn't as tame as he initially thought. The Pokémon had been walking alongside them for most of their trip and had barely made a peep, but perhaps he had taken for granted that the thing even listened to its master.

"I'm sorry, he's never done that before," Mai quickly apologized, fishing in her coat pocket for his Pokeball.

"Hey, no worries! Strength recognizes strength. You just want a battle, huh, little guy?" Flint laughed, reaching out to pat the Pokémon on the head, but the closer his fingers got the more Astrid opened his mouth. All the better to bite him with. Instead he dropped his hands into his pockets. "This kind of thing happens all the time! Some Pokémon just are way more combative than their owners. But sure, we can have a go!"

Astrid let out a bark, turning to give her a stern glare. She returned it with a wide eyed look of horror, the hand that contained his Pokeball hanging in the air. "You can't be serious. I can't even get him to fight wild Wurmple."

"Ever been stung by one of those? I don't blame him. Wild Pokémon just don't fight fair." Astrid crouched slightly and raised both of his arms into a battle stance before baring his fangs, letting out quite a mighty bark. "Aww," Flint laughed. "Aren't you cute?"

"Don't patronize him," Mai scolded, hands on her hips. "And I'd really rather not."

Wyatt grabbed Mai's shoulder, catching a handful of coat. "Are you CRAZY!?" He lowered his voice as he whispered furiously in her ear. "He has so much money! Remember what that kid said? You could get a fifth of his cash since HE challenged YOU! That's like, I dunno, a ton! Easily half a million!"

Her eyes widened as, for the first time, she and Wyatt synced up on the same wavelength and completely understood one another on a deep, universal level. She shook Wyatt's grip away and brushed off her clothes as if she had been offended by his touch.

"A rule is a rule, isn't it? I suppose I can't legally refuse a challenge if I've met the challenger's eyes."

"Huh? Of course you can refuse a battle." Flint scratched his head, tousling his fiery curls. "You guys are just trying to justify being a pair of gold diggers." His other hand was already gripping a Pokeball. A pair of kids walking past had stopped dead in their tracks, large eyes turned curiously towards the trio by the fountain.

"We have an audience already," Wyatt commented, earning an tsk from Mai.

"You're not even battling. Stop saying we." She scolded.

"Two on two sound good? Oh, and save that Lucario for last! Brycen-Man and the Lucario Girl is the most popular kids show on TV right now! There's no suspense if he gets beaten right at the start of the battle, right?"

Astrid growled, though she silenced him quickly.

"Hey, enough!" Mai mumbled under her breath. "Calm down, it's fine. Draw in whatever energy you can." She noticed that one by one, people were stopping their commute to form a small crowd. "That might work in your favor." She slipped a different Pokeball off of her belt.

"Guess it's my move, huh?" Flint hummed, tossing the Pokeball into the air. In a flash of white light a massive beige horse Pokémon appeared, its mane flaring to life as its hooves touched down on the ground between them.

"…Oh…" Mai bit at her lip as she squeezed the ball in her hand and then quickly began to fish for another one, her hands starting to shake.

"By the way, uh, Flint is a fire-type master," Wyatt offered, perhaps just a touch late on his useful advice. "Hey, don't look so flustered! Got ground, water, rock? Dragon? Do you want to use Doof?"

"I'll be fine." Mai wordlessly tossed another Pokeball, one that burst open to reveal a Pokémon that Wyatt had never even seen before. It was tall, taller than Mai but shorter than himself, and goblin-like, covered from head to toe in short yellow fur.

It blinked at the Rapidash staring it down and then turned around to look at Mai, perplexed.

"Just trust me, alright? We will be fine." She snapped, causing the creature to narrow its eyes more and turn back to its opponent.

"Overheat!" Flint shouted immediately.

"Protect, now!" Mai countered.

"Hypno?!" her Pokémon shrieked as Rapidash's mane began to glow. The psychic-type shook its head violently.

She felt her face grow hot at the realization that he didn't know Protect. "No, then use Detect!"

"HYPNO!" Apparently he didn't know that move, either.

Mai's hands were balled into fists. "Why don't you know any defensive moves? You're a Hypno! Light Screen, hurry! Right now!"

Just as Flint's Rapidash unleashed a massive burst of white-hot flames from its form, Hypno managed to conjure an oval shield that took form right in front of it. The flames bounced off at all angles as he tried to maintain focus, but the heat proved to be too much. It only withstood a few seconds of fire before it shattered and seemed to completely evaporate. A second energy shield, much smaller but much sturdier, interrupted the flow of fire once more just as Rapidash seemed to run out of fuel.

"…How are you?" Mai called as Hypno dismissed the screen, letting out an audible sigh of relief. His fur was singed with a light burn, but it was nothing much of consequence. "Good. Thunderpunch, now!"

With a nod, Hypno charged forwards, gripping its pendulum tight in its right fist.

"Hey, it's actually pretty fast." Flint mused. "But compared to Rapidash, it's slower than a Slugma. Flame Charge!"

As Hypno's sparking fist collided with the horse's ribs, it let out a shrieking whinny of pain and delivered a sharp kick to Hypno's belly. They both took a moment to regain their composure, one aching from burns and the other paralyzed from the electric attack. Rapidash seemed to be struggling to get its feet moving fast enough to charge.

Of his own volition, Hypno tried to use Hypnosis, but its opponent only bobbed its head once before finally breaking through the paralysis. It smashed into Hypno, who had been wide open from the focus needed to try and hypnotize the Rapidash, and sent the psychic type rolling through the air. He skidded to a halt at Mai's feet.

"That looks like a KO to me, huh?" Flint called out, earning a few cheers from the kids in the small crowd.

Mai knelt behind Hypno and tried to pull him upright, swatting away embers that had taken hold in his neck fluff. "Are you alright? You didn't even wait for my command. Don't just make your own strategy!"

The Pokémon leered at her and the sound of garbled nonsense filled her head with a deafening roar that made her cover both ears for a moment. He was trying to communicate through telepathy and from the intensity of the noises, he was giving her a sound telling off.

"You know I can't understand you."

It seemed they synced for just a moment, because as clear as day she heard the words _"Worthless little nugget… when I get back, I'm telling… and now I need a haircut…"_

Wordlessly she returned him and stood back up, dusting off her knees. "Astrid," she nodded at her other Pokémon and he immediately dashed forward, letting out a cry of determination.

"All good to go, Rapidash?" Flint called out. His Pokémon let out a whinny. It was shaken but still going full force.

"How about Bone Rush?" Mai asked quietly. Astrid nodded and channeled his energy to materialize a long, thin, spear-like bone. He gripped it in both paws and waited for his opponent to make a move.

"You've got this, bud!" Flint commanded, and Rapidash did seem to know exactly what that meant. Its mane began to flicker and spark. The embers that drifted off of it shifted from orange to an ominous blue and they spread and lingered in the air. They dotted the field like fireworks, hanging in place instead of dissipating.

"Don't let him touch those. That's Will O' Wisp," Wyatt uttered, squeezing Shinx a bit too tight in his arms.

"Stop helping me," she snapped through gritted teeth. "I know what a Will O' Wisp looks like."

Wyatt was taken aback by the sudden venom in her voice. "If you're so damn smart, then you know he's about to win," he snapped back.

And then the large Pokémon leapt high into the air, much higher than Mai (and apparently the crowd) ever expected something of that size could without a running start.

Those four diamond hooves smashing into Astrid from above would surely be the end of him, but with Mai directing from behind him and people on both sides, forward was the only direction he could move.

"Dodge forward, but be careful!"

Easier said than done, but he managed to get behind the Pokémon just as it came crashing down. All it would take now would be a powerful strike of Bone Rush and—

He swung his weapon, but Rapidash kicked him mid-swing, sending the much smaller Astrid flying backwards into the trap it set. Each orb erupted into a small burst of flame, and before Astrid could get away from one, it would set off another.

"Astrid?!" Mai yelped, his Pokeball at the ready to return him. She hesitated upon seeing that he was still standing. "Are you alright?!"

"Lu!" he growled, eager to at least get one move off. Despite being badly burned, he dashed forward and finally struck Rapidash over the head with a swift strike from the bone before it shattered completely. He waited, poised to strike again, as the Pokémon struggled to gather its legs up under it and stand.

Thankfully, it didn't.

"Hey, a point for you. Not bad!" Flint withdrew Rapidash and tossed a Premier Ball. His next choice was Infernape.

Wyatt felt Shinx flinch at the sight of it and patted her head. "Don't worry, this one won't try to use you as a fly-swatter. I'm not dumb enough to try and battle him."

As soon as Flint's Pokémon let out a battle cry, Astrid's paws lit with a pale glow. His opponent was powerful. So powerful, in fact, that his back legs were trembling. "Aura Sphere!" Mai commanded.

Astrid looked as if he had been itching for that command. An orb of energy began to gather between his paws, flecked with red, gold, and white, indicative of the brightest auras at his disposal thanks to the fired up bystanders. He unleashed the powerful beam, feeling the impact as it collided with Infernape. The disturbance in the air from his attack hitting home left Astrid certain that his opponent would be on the ground.

Nope. Instead, it was right in front of him. The attack had connected, and surely it had been powerful, but it hadn't so much as ruffled the other Pokémon's fur.

"Astrid!" Mai warned, her stern voice wavering once again.

The Infernape swung a giant, heavy arm and Astrid rolled backwards, catching himself on his heels. He pounced off of his back feet and collided with infernape's midsection in a bold tackle in the hopes of throwing it off center so he could back up. The Pokémon didn't so much as flinch.

Strong fingers gripped his scruff and tossed him easily aside. Astrid was certain that his opponent had just given him the distance he needed to strike with another Aura Sphere, but before he could shift into an advantageous stance, his entire being was engulfed in a mighty burst of flames.

"Okay, that's enough!" Mai shouted, running onto the field to gather up her Pokémon as Infernape cut its Flamethrower short. Astrid was down for the count without question.

She flinched and pulled Astrid close as the Infernape approached her, suddenly aware of how stupid it had been to run onto a battlefield where an opponent's Pokémon was still primed for battle. The fire type merely squatted down on its haunches and gave her a hard pat on the head, perhaps as a greeting. Or perhaps as an apology for completely destroying her Pokémon without taking so much as a single hit.

The crowd was beginning to thin back out, excited chatter dying down to a mumble as the people who received a free show moved on about their lives as usual.

Mai wordlessly withdrew Astrid and stood back up, biting hard at the inside of her cheek as her hands gripped his Pokeball tight enough to turn her knuckles white.

"You held your own," Wyatt offered.

"there were people watching. I'm so humiliated…"

Wyatt's eyebrow jumped in annoyance. He didn't even attempt to hide his frustration. "Don't be so pathetic. Everyone loses. What makes you think you wouldn't?"

"I can't calculate any scenario in which I would have won." She admitted. "Even if Hypno hadn't been burned, I was lucky that he paralyzed Rapidash. And even Astrid at his strongest, with a lucky critical hit, it wouldn't have been enough." With that she nudged past him and trotted in the direction of the Pokémon Center, short legs carrying her away into the bustle of the city as Wyatt watched her leave.

"Doof," Bidoof uttered thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Wyatt agreed.

"Are you next?" Flint asked, dropping an elbow on Wyatt's shoulder.

"No way in hell, you'll destroy me. And something tells me that she won't be back." Wyatt groaned. "Apparently I chose to spend my entire journey traveling with some prideful idiot who can't take a loss."

"Aww, it's fine. She's probably just never lost before. It's easy for you to be humble considering how often you lose." Flint shrugged, not even intending to deliver a savage third degree burn to Wyatt's ego.

"Heh." Wyatt scoffed. "So do you think all those little kids are going to start talking about Infernape Guy and the Lucario Girl?"

Flint's eyes lit up. "Hey, I didn't even think about that. Stand aside, Brycen-Man! A bright sunset melts right through your legacy of frigid justice! A new hero wins over the hearts of the people! Infernape Guy!"

"Wasn't Brycen-Man the villain and Lucario Girl the hero?"

Flint paused to consider. "Nope. Your Lucario Girl is definitely the villain. She's a representation of corporate greed and the people versus the state. You know, like mind versus matter." He jutted a thumb over his shoulder at the TV station. "Should we pitch this before network cable steals the idea?"

* * *

"You seem to be having a wonderful little vacation. Have you enjoyed spending tons of my money on things that you don't need?" Mai said nothing as she frowned at the blond man on her phone screen. He unleashed a sigh and pushed his large sunglasses up on top of his head, rubbing tired blue eyes with the heels of his hands. "Extra large jackets and size thirteen shoes? Is the air in Sinnoh just doing something to your body or is it safe to say that you spent a few hundred on someone else?"

"I ran into this boy-..."

He swiftly interrupted her, dismissing her words with a wave of his gloved hand. "Yes, it only took one glance at my itemized receipts to figure out that much. I'm not stupid, Sully."

She felt a nerve under her eye pulse in annoyance. "That's my father's name. Don't disrespect it!" As anger washed over her, she dropped her phone to the floor and raised her foot over it with the intention of shattering it. Frantic shouting from the speaker halted her right before she crushed it under the heel of her white boot.

"Okay, Sullivan! Sullivan! Don't break that!" The man waved his arms at the camera as if he could physically stop her from breaking the phone. She halted before crushing it and then picked it back up, a deep scowl stuck to her face like a scar. The man sighed and leaned back in his chair with his chin resting in his palm. "Honestly, you're much more defiant when you think you can't get in trouble for your actions."

She tsked. "Would it kill you to show me the slightest respect? Stop acting like I owe you! Aren't we on the same side?"

"Oh, is that so?" He let out a loud guffaw. "Welcome to my world! I've poured my blood, brainpower, and funds into Aether for nearly as long as you've been alive! And do you think your father ever received a thank you for his own research for Silph Company? Of course not! He was made to look like a villain when Team Rocket took over. Do you think it'll be any different for you? Science is thankless work." He let out a sigh and adjusted his collar. "...I digress. What were you going to say about this boy? Is he important?"

Mai's brow was creased with concern. "He was attacked by someone claiming to be from Team Galactic. This is the first time I have caught a firsthand account of criminal activity. He reported it to the police, but they dismissed it."

Ah." His exasperated expression turned up into a smirk. "It seems their admins are getting a bit sloppy if their grunts are becoming power hungry. Why that boy, though? Is there anything exceptional about him?"

Mai couldn't bring herself to say no, so she simply shook her head instead. "He is kind, but he isn't a strong trainer. It still feels strange for it to be so happenstance. He washed up right outside the cabin I was staying in. Why would they attack him and send him to Sandgem Town?"

"Well, keep an eye on him. He might be important to them. If not, then he may need your protection in the event that they try to silence him."

"It may be best for me to just leave him alone. One of his friends is in the Elite Four. I don't think he will need my protection."

"Do whatever you think best. Consider moving on to Veilstone as quickly as possible, though. Take care, darling!"

"Okay, but Faba-..." her words trailed off as the screen went black and she found herself staring at nothing but her own reflection in the black mirror of her phone. The more she saw her own face, the more she disliked how often she frowned. A piece of her wanted to be compliant and find Wyatt, but a more solemn side felt that it would be best for the boy if he never saw her again.


	6. Chapter VI: Apologies

**Take The Stage**

**Chapter 6: Apologies**

**_A/N: Sorry this chapter took like 20 years to post, I just had awful writer's block for the longest time and rewrote it like ten times. I decided screw it, this is what I'm going with, I've got to get this going again. In this chapter we get a little peek into Mai's temperament and the second glimpse of some strange Galactic behavior. Read and review! The next chapter will have s_****_Pokémon_****_ome forward progress versus character progress._**

* * *

Wyatt let out a sigh as he pushed his plate away from him. He had finished most of his burger and could definitely force himself to eat the rest, but for his own safety and for fear of his own lack of control, he found it best to give it up now.

Admittedly he didn't feel half as guilty at Flint buying his lunch as he had about Mai buying his breakfast. Even still, the slightest sense of urgency had started to creep up on him. What was he going to do once Flint left? Even kitted out for travel, he didn't have the means to set up camp or the funds to buy a room in a Pokémon Center or inn.

"So what are you going to do? Head out on your own or hunt down that girl? Mia, right?" Flint asked, vocalizing exactly what Wyatt was worried about.

"It's Mai." Wyatt corrected.

"Huh?"

"Her name is Mai, not Mia. And I really don't know. I guess I should head out on my own but I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Well, you'd start by heading towards a gym, right? You've got Roark one way and Gardenia the other. If you can afford a ferry, Byron is the closest, but you definitely don't stand a chance against that guy."

"Don't gym leaders have like, weak Pokémon to fight newbie trainers with?" Wyatt asked hopefully. His hopes were dashed as Flint snorted.

"Right, so you can just get an easy gym badge? Maybe if they're feeling nice and they're training up a new team member they'll cut you a break, but that would just be coincidence. Your best bet is to pick out the gyms that your team would have a type advantage against and take those out first for the extra experience."

"So, Crasher Wake trains water types. That would be an easy badge, right?"

"If you think Shinx could take down a Gyarados, sure. Why don't you just borrow a Pokémon from Mia? Er, Mai? Plenty of trainer duos share their teams."

"I don't know if I'll see her again." Wyatt huffed, blowing a puff of air up into his messy bangs. "I barely know her and I made her mad. I had no idea she had such an ego."

"Shi!" Shinx barked from beneath the table. She nudged her forehead against his ankle, sending an unpleasant shock up his shin. Wyatt tried to ignore her, but she buried her short fangs into his right leg with a painful nip.

"Ow! What the hell is your problem?!" Wyatt snapped as he glowered at her. She returned the glare in kind, whipping her stubby tail in anger.

Ah, but of course. Mai had been the one to reunite Shinx and Wyatt. And despite how little they had in common, she had treated him with shocking hospitality. He at least needed to repay her for the clothes on his back.

"Alright, alright. I'll help you poke around town and find her. That way you can at least say sorry to her. No need to beg, I'm glad to help out a pal."

"Uh, sorry? What do you mean 'sorry'?" Wyatt blinked. "Yeah she did get mad at me, but it's not like I did anything to apologize for."

Flint gave a very dramatic and animated 'tsk' and then wagged his finger in Wyatt's face. "First rule about girls, dude. Always apologize. Even if you don't think you did anything wrong. Heck, especially if you haven't done anything wrong!" His bright smile of blissful idiocy melted as Wyatt rolled his eyes and slid out of the booth.

* * *

The bright office buildings and illuminated signs at the heart of Jubilife had quickly become dingy warehouses and gray awnings as Mai's feet urged her faster through a dim alleyway. Her steel eyes cut from side to side as she tried to look for any sign of familiarity, any way to recount her steps. How had she gotten so horribly lost in just half a day?

Mai had withdrawn Astrid to his Pokeball out of fear that he would become stressed by all of the unpleasant industrial odors; he was easily disoriented and oftentimes overwhelmed by his own ability to read auras. And the more upset Mai was, the harder it was for him to concentrate on anything.

_'Just being around me makes it harder for him to follow even his own instincts as a Pokémon…' _Mai thought briefly. Pushing such thoughts out of her mind, she grabbed Hypno's Pokeball and pressed the button at its core. The bright light that shrouded his arrival seemed blinding in contrast to the shadows of the buildings and the overcast gray sky.

The imp-like creature took shape and folded his pricked ears back flat to his head. His narrow eyes shifted left and right as the white fur around his neck seemed to stand on end. **_'Oh, this is not a good place. Why am I here?'_** The quiet echo of Hypno's telepathy injected into Mai's mind.

Mai sighed through her nose and tugged at a lock of hair anxiously. "You're communicating very clearly, but in that battle you acted like we could barely understand one another," she couldn't help but point out.

The psychic type snickered, a sound that was not just restricted to telepathy.

Mai only frowned in response. "Do you think you can help me get back to the plaza? I'm lost."

**_'Teleportation with a tag-a-long is very dangerous. Why, if I were to lose concentration mid-flight, the psychic power might just tear you to shreds. Little bits and bops of fleshy Sully littered from here to there!'_**

"Don't call me that." Mai responded, hands balled into fists. "And you carried me from Alola to Sinnoh with no trouble."

**'**_**Yes, quite, under the command of Mr. Faba. Taking orders from someone who is not my partner is quite a different ordeal, you know.'** _That was not true, but of course Hypno knew that Mai didn't know better. Sometimes, every now and then, he took the _slightest _pity on the girl. Not enough pity to keep him from disobeying and causing trouble, but enough to make him feel ever so slightly bad about it. It wasn't as if he hated her, nor did he particularly dislike her, but he didn't appreciate being taken away from his cushy lifestyle and assigned to the task of babysitting what was essentially a grown woman.

And for what? Despite being a telepath, he could not fully read the mind of others around him. He had no idea what the motive of this girl or his trainer was.

Mai turned her glance away from the Pokémon with her jaw set in anger. She was too irritated and disoriented to realize that a lean, blue-haired girl had been listening to the strange exchange, her shoulder leaned against a brick shop entry. The shade of the alley made her all the more difficult to notice.

"I'm sorry that I made you battle earlier." Mai uttered suddenly, a deep frown set on her face. "It was foolish of me, but I thought that you might be stronger than my own Pokémon and I wanted to win. I didn't take into account that Faba is an awful Pokémon trainer."

Hypno tilted his head and remained silent. Was that an apology framed as an insult? Still, he was quite surprised that she apologized at all.

"Oh, sorry. Bad-mouthing your trainer isn't going to make you more likely to cooperate with me. I just meant to say that I should not have just assumed that you would be any good at fighting. I mean, you're a pretty old Pokémon." She groaned and ran her palm over her face in annoyance. "I didn't mean it like that. Why can't I keep my foot out of my mouth? I'm just trying to say that I'm sorry that you got roughed up."

**'_Stop embarrassing yourself, child. You seem earnest enough. Though I suppose forty-nine years must seem like a long time for a human. You live such short lives as it is.'_**

Mai's eyebrows raised in shock. "You're nearly fifty years old? Now I feel even worse about making you battle. I should have asked instead of just assuming."

**'_Psychic Pokémon tend to live longer than most. The pride of our species was a Kantonian elder who lived to be 198 on a human calendar. Of course, Pokémon like Alakazam continue to grow stronger in body as their IQ increases, whereas we are similar to humans in that we deteriorate past our prime. Even so, d_****_o not count me out quite yet.'_**

"It almost sounds like you want to get into a few scuffles. What do you think about taking on some trainers once we get back on the road? It's a long way to Floaroma, after all."

**'_Mr. Faba advised me to make sure that you went to Veilstone City.'_**

"Or what? He'll fire me? There have been massive energy spikes at the Windworks and cargo trucks with Galactic's logo on them. I'm going there. Veilstone is the home of their regional management. The odds of gaining entry there is slim to none."

It seemed the other girl had grown tired of waiting and listening to the one sided conversation. She stood upright and stepped out of the shadows after taking a moment to clear her throat and announce her arrival. Brown eyes, sharpened by the shape of cat-eye liner, regarded Mai with amusement for a long moment. The two girls seemed frozen in place, unsure of how the other would react. "You aren't going anywhere near the Windworks, girlie."

Mai had already been tense on the principal of someone approaching her in a dingy side street like this, but the girl's words solidified her concern. Her stare of confusion hardened into a cold glare and she briskly adjusted the lapel of her navy blazer out of nervous habit. "What difference does it make to you?"

"Battle me. Our eyes met," the girl demanded suddenly, flicking her short, teal bangs out of her eyes. Before Mai could respond, her opponent snatched a black and yellow Pokeball from her pocket and pressed the button at its center, enlarging it.

"I really don't have the time," Mai responded stonily. "You're no doubt a member of Team Galactic. Do you think simply winning a Pokémon battle will throw me off of your trail? If you knew what was good for you, you'd be on your way. More and more of your criminal acts are going to come to light."

"Kids these days watch one episode of Brycen-man and suddenly think they're vigilante superheroes!" The girl laughed in response, holding her stomach as if it were the funniest thing she had ever heard. "We have police officers in Team Galactic, you idiot. It doesn't matter what we do. You can either fight me, or just stand there and watch as I rob you blind!"

Mai tilted her head as she processed the girl's words. Police officers were in Team Galactic? It was totally plausible that the officers Wyatt had spoken to were playing dumb for this reason. Mai herself had an idea of how far their reach spread, but she clearly had underestimated their scope and boldness. She hardly realized that her heart was thundering in anger. "You are a fool."

Hypno's pricked ears lay back flat against his head at the tone of her voice. The Pokémon snickered again, though it was a nervous and unpleasant sound.

"You new trainers with daddy's money come stumbling through here all the time. Someone should teach you a lesson in humility, don't you think?" The girl chortled. "Sinnoh is a cold place. Better to send you packing now than have some rescue team dig you out of the snow later on!" She tossed her Pokeball and released a large, purple skunk Pokémon that brought with it a foul stench: a Skuntank. The huge beast locked eyes with Mai and began to growl, hackles raised.

**_'I do not like that kind of Pokémon, but I suppose I can defeat it,'_** Hypno sighed as the amulet coin hanging from around his neck began to bob and sway. His voice had become filled with what sounded like static and whispers; his telepathy was disturbed as it had been in his battle against Flint, it seemed.

"You won't," Mai responded curtly, stopping him short by holding her arm out in front of him. She grabbed a Pokeball from her hip just as the girl began to bark a command.

"Smokescreen! Choke her out!" The girl roared. Her Pokémon readied itself in preparation for the attack, clawing at the ground with its hind paws as the spines on its back began to raise.

"Iza, blow it away!" As Mai called her name, Scizor erupted from her Pokeball just as her opponent's Pokémon began to unleash a vile blast of acidic ash. Iza's wings began to whir like the blades of a fan, clearing away the grime before it could blind either one of them.

With the smokescreen gone, the red beast stopped and turned one glowing eye to look back at Mai and Hypno. Iza locked onto the sight of the psychic type and snapped her claws at her sides. Her knee segments bent as if she were about to either charge or take flight. A deadly hiss boiled forth from her as she turned her back to the enemy, claws snapping and wings buzzing as if she were gearing up to attack her trainer.

"Iza. Pay attention!" Mai snapped. She pointed past her Pokémon to her opponent. "This girl is a member of Team Galactic and she intends to steal from us. I don't have time for you to disobey me!" She was silenced by a flurry of dust as Iza performed an about-face and began to snip her claws faster than before. It seemed she had decided that her real target for the time being was the blue-haired girl after all.

Brown eyes narrowed in anticipation of battle. The thief pointed her palm outwards as she called a command. "Skuntank, blast the three of them with Toxic, now!" She blurted furiously. Now more than ever she was determined to cut Mai down to size, if only to silence her.

Before the Skuntank could rear back to launch its blast of venom, Iza bolted forwards and knocked the Pokémon to its side with a rapid series of bullet punches. With no hesitation she raised her massive right claw and clamped it around her victim's head, clenching down tight as it began to flail wildly. Skuntank's shriek of pain was unpleasant, but the sound only managed to make the Scizor angrier.

The thief was in a violent panic. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?! It's just a bug! Flamethrower, now!"

"Skuntaaank!" The furry purple monster groaned in pain. It opened its mouth and managed to produce a few weak sparks. Skuntank's deadly sharp claws scratched and dug at Iza's body, but the bug didn't budge an inch, not even as nails nicked her metal hide and made horrible screeching sounds against her skin. Finally, Skuntank's struggles seemed to cease as it lost consciousness. Iza regarded the limp creature with disgust for a moment and then grabbed its hairy body in her claws and hoisted it up. She launched it at its trainer, who just barely managed to jump to the side to keep from being knocked down herself.

"Wh-…" The Galactic member's bottom lip trembled as she pulled herself up from the ground and ran to her Pokémon. She had no time to register that the Scizor was now charging her with the intention of delivering swift, painful justice. "Please!" The girl fell to the ground on her knees and covered her neck with her hands out of panic.

Long milliseconds seemed to tick by, in which Mai remained silent. Hypno looked over at her in shock. '_Is this a bluff? An attempt to scare the girl?' _The Pokémon thought. No, he decided on his own, if it was a bluff Mai would have called it already. She was either paralyzed at the sight, or she wanted her Pokémon to hurt the other girl.

Iza's raised claw came to a halt in the air above the other cowering trainer. "Sci-..." Her limbs began to tremble as if she were struggling to make her muscles move. Finally, as if powering down like some form of machine, Iza's head dropped against her chest and she collapsed to the ground in front of her 'prey.'

It took Mai a few confused seconds to notice that Hypno's eyes and hands were glowing with psychic energy. His Disable attack had shut down Iza before she could attack the other human. Mai seemed to come to her own senses and quickly pointed the Pokeball towards Iza. A flash of bright light sucked the Pokémon back inside, but she immediately began to struggle to escape from the ball. Mai had to clasp the ball tight in both hands in an effort to keep it from bursting back open.

The Galactic girl had returned her own Pokémon and was clamoring to her feet in a desperate attempt to get her legs up under her so she could run. She cast one look back at the gray-haired girl in the alleyway and then sprinted for her life.

* * *

"So do you wanna, like, catch a show or something?"

"No, Flint. I need to find Mai," Wyatt uttered in exasperation. He squinted in the afternoon sun and scanned one side of the street and then the other. "You don't have to stick around. I'm fine. I'll find her and then I'll do some training."

Flint blew a raspberry, dropping his hands into the pockets of his baggy gray pants. "Look dude, I'm pretty sure that chick is long gone. I can talk to Professor Rowan and see if he's willing to give you a starter Pokémon."

"I really appreciate it, bud. Really. But uh… you know, the more I think about it…" He scratched at his messy blond locks sheepishly. He was too embarrassed to admit everything that happened to him to an esteemed, successful trainer like Flint, but Wyatt was starting to wonder if the events that had transpired were part of a bigger plan. A piece of him wanted to confess that he'd been robbed and go home and live just as comfortably as he had before. Another piece wanted this journey and wanted to build his reputation from the ground up. He couldn't go taking every handout that he got.

Besides, the thought of Flint telling Volkner that he helped Wyatt get a Pokémon and a new Pokedex made him feel queasy.

"Get out! Get out of the waaay!"

A scream echoed from the nearby building; a sound that stopped both boys in their tracks. If they hadn't stopped walking, they would have been completely steamrolled by a young woman tearing out of the alleyway a few feet away from them. She ran out into the street and looked left and right in a wild panic before turning towards them and charging full force. Wyatt only stared like a Stantler in headlights. She sideswiped him and nearly took him out, stumbling for half a second before she caught herself and blasted off.

He stared up at Flint with wide brown eyes. The other boy could only offer him a shrug and suggest that he check his pockets to make sure that she hadn't snatched anything off of his person. Their mild chatter came to a halt as a familiar figure emerged from the very same alley and began to brush the dirt off of her white pants.

"Hey, found her," Flint chortled, folding his hands behind his head. He started to open his mouth and make a joke about how they had just seen another girl running for her life from that direction, but instead kept his mouth shut. He had glanced at Wyatt to see if the boy was thinking the same thing, but clearly his dense friend hadn't found it suspicious at all. _'Just what in the hell was that all about?'_

"Mai, are you alright? You look a little roughed up."

"I'm just fine. I just got turned around, that's all." She ran her fingers through her hair as if to tame it, though it didn't make much of a difference. Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she processed what Flint had just said and she dropped her hands to her hips with a deep frown creasing her features. "Wait, you were looking for me?"

"Uh…" Wyatt shrugged. "Well, I mean we did agree to travel with each other. You, know, for a little. Right? Or, uh, did I misunderstand?"

Mai pressed her palm to her forehead and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I acted like an impudent child, and then I assumed you wouldn't want to travel with me. I hope you can forgive me."

"Come on, you think someone wouldn't want to talk to you anymore because of one little snippy back and forth? Get a grip!" Flint laughed. He clapped a hand on her shoulder and Wyatt winced, half expecting the worst. She staggered under the weight for a moment and only blinked as if trying to make heads or tails of his words.

"I suppose you're right," she admitted.

"Cool. Hot. So what's next? Where are we off to?"

"Uh, you're going with us?"

Flint dropped his elbow onto Wyatt's shoulder. "Let me tell ya, buddy. I haven't had a battle in ages. Even if people can make it to the League, they can't get past Aaron! I owe it to myself to take a vacation, right? Just for a day or two!"

"You won't get into trouble?" Mai mused. "It seems like a very irresponsible decision. Don't you at least want to think it over first?"

"Nope. When you think too hard, you just talk yourself out of fun, right?" Flint beamed.

Mai shook her head and looked at her shoes. "I cannot comprehend that…"

"You just want to get into battles with weak trainers to make yourself feel better," Wyatt joked. Or at least Flint took it as a joke. He had been totally serious.

"Look, you guys can treat me like your mentor! I've traveled all over Sinnoh. Just think of me as your tour guide!" He turned his back towards them and scanned the streets. "You guys want ice cream? It's on me." He didn't wait for an answer before striding away, hands dropped leisurely into his pockets.

Mai stole a glance over to Wyatt as he watched his friend trot away. She couldn't help the smile that crept up on her face. "It must be nice to have a friend who can live life as he pleases. And he's so strong, at that. You're awfully lucky, Wyatt."

Lucky? Is that what she called it? Well, in some regards, he guessed she wasn't too far off the mark. He thought briefly of what Flint had told him during lunch. "Hey, Mai, I'm sorry."

Her stormy eyes turned up to his bright ones, searching for an explanation. "What are you sorry for?"

Wyatt only shrugged and let out a half-laugh, half-sigh. "Who even knows?"

"I see. Apology accepted."


	7. Chapter VII: The Smallest Victory

**Take The Stage**

**VII - The Smallest Victory**

**A/N: I haven't proofread yet, but I'm goin' to bed. Real sleepy. I'll fix any typos in the morning. -D**

* * *

"I must graciously thank you for agreeing to this impromptu meeting. I am sure you are a busy man. But I must confess that the steps that Team Galactic are making towards the pursuit of science are quite fascinating. I couldn't help but follow my source and try to speak to you in some manner."

A blue haired lad no older than twenty folded his hands on the steel desk in front of his computer, offering the camera a polite smile. The background was not unlike the one that Faba was in, except that it was chrome and spotless as opposed to white and spotless. Faba's eyes scanned the bookshelves in the background to see if he could discern any of the titles, but the camera was not quite crisp enough for him to pick out anything particularly interesting. If the younger man noticed this nosiness, he did not show it. After all, he was doing the same thing. All he could pick out were binders lined up neatly on a white bookshelf, but they were not labelled in a way that was visible to him.

"You're most welcome, Mr. Faba. It is a pleasure to finally be able to meet someone with prestige at the Aether Foundation. My name is Saturn. I am the creator of the Clean Energy Project and founder of Team Galactic."

It took an impressive amount of restraint for Faba not to roll his eyes. '_Petulant little whelp,'_ he thought but did not say. '_As if a child like you has any clue what he's doing! If he's the founder, I'm the king of Alola!'_ Not a shred of this concern was present in his voice, of course. "A pleasure, Saturn. As I understand it, you're requesting funding for your next project from Aether's coffers. Would you be so kind as to enlighten me on what you would use that funding for?"

"Well… when you get right down to it, Pokémon are the answer. As you well know, an evolution prompts a massive change in power and appearance. However, we theorized that this change is the result of an eruption of energy. It's theorized that some of this energy, this power, is released into the atmosphere upon evolution and can be harnessed. Tell me, Mr. Faba. Have you heard of the Rocket Signal?"

Faba scoffed as if he were offended by the question, but truthfully he was pleased to be able to show off his knowledge. "Indeed. It was a radio signal produced by Team Rocket that triggered wild Pokémon to evolve. This signal was blasted outside of a small town in Johto, and as a result a large number of Pokémon set upon the town and leveled it. At Aether, we shelter many of these Pokémon that were forced to evolve. The overwhelming power made them into violent monsters."

"You know your history, sir." Saturn tilted his head and gave a disingenuous smile. "Why do you think this signal was effective? What do you think made it successful?"

"Successful?" Faba laughed quietly as he began to toy with his short beard. He raised his chin and stared down his long nose at the computer as if spurning Saturn. "You and I have very… _different _opinions when it comes to success. Carnage and the loss of human life at the expense of science is something to rejoice in?"

Saturn set his jaw and tried to backpedal his statement. "Of course I don't think that. Do you believe I'm some kind of monster? I meant: why do you think the signal caused forced evolutions?"

Faba spoke as if he had been waiting for the question. "It just so happens that a colleague of mine worked on this very same Rocket project and shared his findings with me. He theorized that all Pokémon have this energy from birth, but battle and life experience and the physical aging of their body allow them to harness it in order to evolve. You see, my colleague studied the effect of evolutionary stones and actually determined that the stones themselves hold no power whatsoever. The iota of matter within the stone unshackles the power that the Pokémon already has within itself, thus prompting a sudden evolution."

"This friend of yours, is there any way that we may get in contact with him?"

"Unfortunately, he passed away two years ago. An unfortunate incident. However, He entrusted most of his findings to his children and in turn they've given most of that research to me. As it stands I know far more about the potential of evolution than even Professor Elm of Johto."

Saturn wore a troubled frown on his face. Was that true? If so, that meant that swaying this man to their side was suddenly a necessity and not just a boon. He had to hurry up with this pitch before he ruined it! "S-so… in sheltering the Pokémon exposed to the signal, what was your conclusion?"

"Well, one Pokémon changed from a timid temperament and became a violent beast. Upon inspection of its brainwaves, the Pokémon's pain receptors in its pincers and head were constantly active. You see, the sudden hardening of the exoskeleton into a metallic hide made the Pokémon feel as if it were crushed into a smaller body."

"I see." God, this guy loved to hear himself talk.

Faba continued. "Another Pokémon in our care suffered greatly from the exposure as well. As I'm sure you know, some Pokémon have only been reported to evolve when they have fully bonded to a trainer. The missing element has made the Pokémon very withdrawn and under-developed, clumsily staggering around in a body that is too large. It now seems to be unable to draw upon power that it would have gained naturally by trusting a trainer."

Saturn's chilly smile returned. "From your tone, I take it that you find this to be cruel. What if I told you that there is a safer method? One that has been proven effective with no side effects?" He took Faba's shocked silence as a good sign.

"Impossible. There is no way to reach such results without sacrifice. A forceful change always has drawbacks. It is for that very reason that Mega-Evolution is frowned upon in Alola!"

"We have definitive proof otherwise." Saturn teased.

"What kind of proof? I'd like to see this in person."

"A meeting face to face, then? I can arrange for a helicopter to pick you up! Simply give us a time and date when you may be available. We would be honored to have a guest such as yourself see our work, Mr. Faba! I cannot stress how much we of Team Galactic would appreciate a generous contribution of your insight."

"As Branch Chief, I am a very busy man. I do not have time to take vacations on a whim. Unless you had something worthwhile to offer me, of course."

Saturn squared his shoulders and retained his professional air despite the fact that he clearly did not like that answer. "...Very well. I will see what can be done to persuade you, sir."

* * *

Wyatt was a person who rarely found himself in awe of nature. After all, his hometown was industrial and nearly futuristic, the peak of human innovation. He was energized by the sights of grassy hills, red crags, snowy evergreens and free-running water so crystal clear that he could see all the way to the muddy bottom. Suddenly he understood how hikers could stay in the mountains for weeks at a time.

Flint had been chattering incessantly since they left town. Wyatt dusted off his old ability to half-listen to his chatty friend, but it seemed that Mai didn't have that skill. She listened carefully to everything that he said; the only problem was that she kept questioning his hyperbolic statements. It made Wyatt want to roll his eyes so far that they risked popping out of his head, but there was little to be done. Flint probably liked the attention even if the person giving him attention called him out on his fiery theatrics.

To make matters worse, his friend was recognized every step of the way. The three of them had been stopped no less than five times so that Flint could sign autographs or take pictures with young trainers. The fire master had resorted to tying his wild curls up in a poofy ponytail and tucking them into a black baseball cap, but the trainers trickling by still recognized his voice and face.

As they walked further and further from Jubilife and met fewer and fewer people walking by, they came to a crossroads. The paved road had become a dirt path tread by the traffic of trainers past. One road led north and the other went east. Mai had started towards the northern road, but Flint clapped a hand on Wyatt's shoulder to keep him from following her.

"Hold it, dude. That's the wrong way! Oreburgh is this way!" He called.

She stopped in her tracks and glanced back at the two of them. "Why would we go to Oreburgh? I'm going to Floaroma."

Flint dropped his hands on his hips. It almost seemed as if he had been waiting for this chance, this free opportunity to strike up a mild conflict. Probably just for the fun of it, Wyatt guessed. "There are a ton of wild Pokémon on the way to Oreburgh, and Wyatt can get a badge there. There isn't anything in Floaroma Town!"

Mai folded her arms and turned her eyes from Flint to Wyatt and locked her stormy gaze onto him as if he was the one challenging her. "I want to go north. He wants to go east. What do you want to do?" Flint also turned to stare at Wyatt with a dumb half-grin on his face as he watched his friend squirm.

Wyatt shrugged under the scrutiny of the two of them. "Why are you asking me?"

"I'm asking you because I'll go where you decide to go. But if you don't have a direction in mind, then wouldn't it be better to follow the suggestion of someone who does have a goal? If we go north, we can spend the night in the Floaroma Meadow and not have to worry about traveling at night or going through the Oreburgh Gate in the dark. We can set up and train Shinx and Bidoof."

Flint quickly interjected her. "You still have to pass through a cave to reach Floaroma! And it's definitely not a safe cave like the Oreburgh Gate is. And-..." He turned back to Wyatt. "There is a coal museum and antique shops in Oreburgh! We can take the historic tour."

Wyatt had to admit that the historic route definitely sounded more interesting and the idea of spending the night in some cave made his skin crawl. He released a sigh and inched a step closer to Flint. "I think I'd rather go this way." He took another step on the eastern path and then smiled sheepishly at Mai. "Uh, are you coming?"

"I…" She started to protest for a moment and then fell quiet as she pondered her options.

"Do what you want, but I'm going this way," Wyatt sighed as he began to put one foot in front of the other. It had only been a couple of hours and these two were already on his nerves.

"You don't have to come along if you have somewhere to be, you know. Me and Wyatt will blitz through Oreburgh and you can cut through Floaroma, and we can just meet back up in Eterna City!"

"You're planning on staying with us for that long?" Mai asked. It wasn't framed as a rude question, but it certainly didn't come across as friendly.

"Yikes! Here I am trying to help a couple of newbie trainers out. What did I do to make you hate me?"

Mai shook her head side to side once. "Absurd assumption. I never claimed to hate anyone. Truthfully, I don't particularly dislike you."

"Ugh!" Flint groaned. "Why do you have to say it like that!? You could just say 'yo, Flint, you're pretty cool!'"

Wyatt had nearly tuned them both out as he followed the path before him. Shinx was pacing along happily at his side as her tail waved back and forth and her nose took in the scents of other nearby Pokémon. She spied a crooked fruit tree hanging over a frosty pond and trotted over.

"Shee!" The Pokémon called back to her trainer. After making sure that he was following her, she ran and sat beneath a low hanging fruit, whipping her tail as she stared up at it expectantly. She pawed at the air as she began to purr. It was a display of cuteness to get what she wanted, of course.

"You want a snack, huh?" Wyatt used his hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he looked up at the bright blue fruit. Thinking that he could just shake it down, he reared back and kicked at the tree, which didn't budge. Instead, he decided to grab a low branch and hoist himself up into the tree. The branch in his hand snapped and he scrambled to reach out for another one as his feet hunted for a new hold. His fingers just barely grasped onto a leafy twig, but it was quickly slipping through his grasp and he had no way out of the stupid situation that he had put himself in.

"Hey, guys?!" Wyatt called out to Mai and Flint fearfully, but they were still bickering and hadn't even realized that he wasn't with them. His legs began to tremble from the effort of holding himself in place; it was a grim reminder of how out of shape he was. Panic gripped his soul as the twig in his hand finally snapped. He flailed his arms and tried to adjust to land on his feet, but his attempts were futile.

The whipping branches shook loose a small green Pokémon that had been carefully moving through the tree in an attempt to grab the same fruit. It tried to use the sprouts atop its head to catch itself, but it landed just as clumsily as Wyatt did. As soon as it was back on its feet, the tiny creature stomped its nubby feet in anger and began to chatter violently; this human had undone all of its hard work! Not that Wyatt had any way of knowing that, of course. He was too preoccupied with his own aching back to even notice that a Pokémon had fallen down with him.

That lack of remorse was all the little Pokémon could handle. It unleashed a scream and dive-bombed his head, thumping against his skull with all the weight of a wet towel. As Wyatt grunted in confusion, it began to flail wildly, slapping its leaves against his ears and neck in an effort to hurt him.

"Hey! Quit it!" He desperately tried to get his hands around the wild beast, but its body was so round that he couldn't get a good grip. The Pokémon was covered in some kind of dusty powder that burned his eyes and made his nose start running. "Help! Someone help me!" He resorted to shaking his shoulders, and when that failed, he pulled his arms into his clothing and crawled out of his top, tangling the creature up in his jacket and undershirt. He took the bundle of clothing and tossed it into the pond with a grunt of effort.

Flint, who had burnt out all of his energy in his attempts to coerce Mai into arguing, finally spotted the ruckus and ran closer to see what was going on. He could only stare in shock and confusion as a shirtless Wyatt rubbed snow on his face and tried to keep Shinx tucked under his arm. "What the hell? I left you alone for like two minutes, buddy!"

Shinx popped out from under his arm and charged into the water at top speed; her hunter instinct and curiosity made it impossible for her to resist pouncing on whatever tiny creature was tangled in that ball of clothing. Wyatt only whimpered and groaned from his burning eyes.

"This is why the poor guy never left Sunyshore. He's totally inept," Flint uttered, an air of pity to his voice. Mai shook her head and fished a Pokeball out of her coat pocket as she ran closer. A hefty looking Murkrow appeared in a flash and took the air.

"Corvus, go help Shinx before she drowns!" Mai called. The bird swooped down and grabbed the bundle of sinking clothes and then the sopping wet cub in his talons, but it all proved to be a bit too heavy. He dropped the both of them back on land with a hefty 'splat' and perched in the tree to watch the scene unfold.

"Wyatt, I don't know if you've lost it but-..." Flint started, but he was quickly cut off.

The blond's reply was muffled by his hands. "A Budew attacked me!" He finally stood back up and rubbed his face on his forearm. His eyes still stung, but at least he was able to open them.

Flint laughed. "A Budew? As in the defenseless little flower thing with no fangs, claws, or teeth?"

The tiny Pokémon clearly took Flint's words as an insult. It wriggled free of Wyatt's wet clothes and began to squeak and bounce. The tiny face was contorted in rage.

"It seems you touched a nerve," Mai observed. She brought a hand to her chin thoughtfully as she watched it charge full force at Wyatt. Of course, full force for a Budew was about half of the walking speed of the average person. "I wouldn't expect something so small to command such respect for itself. That's very honorable."

"Shinx, shock that thing!" Wyatt grumbled in annoyance. Shinx leapt into action and stood in the opponent's path. It halted its assault and began to chatter angrily, but Shinx responded by letting out a weak electric blast. The Budew stiffened from the shock and tipped over, rolling lifelessly in the grass. Shinx blinked twice in confusion. Had she really just defeated an enemy so easily? Victory!

It seemed to dawn on Wyatt that he had just weakened a Pokémon. He fished an empty Pokeball out of his pocket and rolled it at the Budew, who was sucked inside without complaint.

"Hey, right on! You caught one!" Flint cheered. "You made a mess of yourself, but you caught one!"

"Ugh…" Wyatt dug around in his bag for a clean dry t-shirt and pulled it over his head. He stuffed the wet clothes into a separate pouch, though his backpack wouldn't quite zip all the way. Uttering a sigh of annoyance, he simply hoisted the bag back onto his shoulder anyways and started to go pick up the Pokeball that rested on the ground. "Good job, Shinx."

"Shee!" The cub chirped. She suddenly dashed past Wyatt and smacked the ball with her forehead. As it went flying, she took off after it gleefully as if she were playing fetch.

"Hey, cut that out! That isn't a toy! What's gotten into you?" Wyatt's words seemed to fall on dead ears. Shinx's pupils were wide and her wet fur was on end; she was completely wild with energy. "Why is she disobeying me? She's never like this!"

"It's natural for young Pokémon to be energized by their natural habitat. She's simply following her instinct because she is in her element." Mai explained. A small smile threatened to show on her face, but she quickly cleared her throat to regain her composure. "She's quite mischievous."

As if in response to Mai's words, her Murkrow suddenly took flight and whipped past her face. He made sure that his shiny back feathers slapped her cheek as he lapped around her head. Mai's shriek of shock was uncharacteristically loud. "Eeek! Corvus! Stop that immediately!"

"Kraw!" The large bird made another dive, but this time he landed on her right shoulder. She staggered forwards under his weight and nearly hit the ground, but she managed to catch herself before she ate dirt. The bird leaned forward on her shoulder and tilted his head to peek at her face with his beak open. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was grinning at her. No, he definitely was grinning.

Wyatt couldn't help but stare at the bird and wonder why he was just now seeing it. He scanned the Pokémon's body looking for any sign of damage or any odd behavior. Mai did say that most of her Pokémon were rehabilitated after all, and so far her other ones were odd ducks. Corvus caught his stare and rotated his head to acknowledge Wyatt with his big, curved beak open in a stupid looking grin. '_Alright, this guy's pretty cute,'_ he thought to himself, lifting his fingers in a half-hearted hello to the corvian.

Flint walked faster and wedged his way between Wyatt and Mai. "You should have used Murkrow in our battle. Infernape likes fighting opponents that he's weak to!" Flint held out his forearm in front of the bird and, to Mai's utter shock, Corvus extended his foot and grabbed hold of Flint's arm. He boldly moved right over to the other trainer's arm with little hesitation. "Aww, you're a friendly dude, aren't you?"

Mai seemed a bit crestfallen at the fact that her own Pokémon had taken to someone besides her. "Corvus doesn't really wake up until the evening. He also doesn't like a lot of eyes on him." Her response was curt. She began to walk just a bit faster.

Not far in the distance, the rocky wall that had been merely a smudge on the horizon was beginning to come into view. Flint let out a wistful sigh. "We should make it to Oreburgh City with no problems tonight. I guess I overestimate this path, huh? Man, this road seemed a lot longer ten years ago!"

"Huh. I remember when you and Volkner left town to be trainers. It wasn't long afterwards that they bumped the age that you could get a license up from ten to fifteen. I was so jealous of you guys at the time, but I guess it did make sense. Ten year olds can't even wash their own laundry, let alone survive in the wilderness. I probably would have died if I had started when ya'll did…" Wyatt mused thoughtfully as he watched Shinx run ahead, pouncing on every rock that was in her path.

Corvus's bright red eyes were fixated on Flint's choker as the chrome jewelry gleamed dully in the mid-afternoon sun. He began to inch his way up past Flint's elbow and onto his shoulder with the most troublesome of intentions. Not that Flint was any the wiser, of course.

"Well, I've had my fair share of close calls, ha-ha!" Flint snorted. "I got lost inside of Mount Coronet for a week once. At that time I had no food, and Monferno would boil cave water for me to drink to survive. That place was so dark that there were times where the fire on his tail was the only thing that I could see. And then finally, by the time I found an exit, I was all the way up near Snowpoint City! No coat, no food, nothing but a twelve year old kid who missed his mom."

Wyatt frowned as he tried to think back. If Flint was twelve, then that would have made Wyatt around nine or ten at the time. What was he doing back then? Probably playing video games and thinking about lunch.

For some reason this gave him the oddest sensation of guilt. When Flint and Volkner visited or returned to Sunyshore each year for a spring semester of school, Wyatt took up that precious little time that they could have spent with their family. He was starting to realize, finally, that they really were leagues apart. Literally. One was a League designated Gym Leader and mechanical genius, and the other was one of the strongest 5 trainers in the entire region.

'_I should be more thankful that Flint even gives me the time of day… it's not like it was when we were kids. I guess he grew up a hell of a lot faster than I did.'_ Wyatt bit at his lip.

"Hey bud! Don't cry about it! Your pal made it out of that cave just fine, see?!" Flint chirped, slapping Wyatt hard on the back to snap him out of his stupor. Wyatt hadn't even realized that he was making a face in the first place.

"Ah, sorry!" Wyatt forced a laugh. "It's just hard to picture you in a situation that you can't talk yourself out of."

Their journey came to a halt just outside of the Oreburgh Gate as the unthinkable, unimaginable happened: Wyatt was challenged by another trainer.

"You look like a tough kid. How about a battle?" A rotund man saddled with heavy looking hiking gear left his post by the entrance to the cave. Clearly he had been sitting there to pick off weaker trainers coming from Oreburgh who were already tired from the trip. Truly honorable.

Channeling his newfound confidence after the capture of Budew, Wyatt offered a good-natured smile. "I don't see why not!" He was shivering, not from anticipation but because he was freezing without his coat on. The sun was setting fast; he hoped it would be a fast battle.

"Right on!" The hiker let out a holly laugh and plucked a Pokeball from his belt, tossing it into the air. "Don't let me down, Onix!"

Wyatt's smile quickly faded off of his face as the small burst of white light erupted into a Pokémon so massive that it hurt his neck to stare up at it. Flint and Mai quickly skittered aside as Wyatt paced backwards to allow more room to battle.

"Aw, crap…" He groaned, tangling his fingers in his shaggy blond locks. Shinx was completely ineffective and Budew was still unconscious. His only choice was Bidoof. He inhaled and grabbed Bidoof's ball, tossing it out in front of him.

The Pokémon appeared in a flash of bright white and turned to Wyatt with his beady eyes blazing in anticipation. He turned around with a quick hop and then yelped in surprise at the size of his opponent.

"Don't be afraid, Doof!" Wyatt called. Rich, considering how he had no faith in their chances. To his surprise Bidoof pawed angrily at the ground and bared his fangs at the Onix.

"That's cute. Onix, use Slam!" At the hiker's command, Onix raised its tail high and slammed it down on the ground.

"Be careful! Defense Curl!"

Bidoof grabbed its hind feet with its stubby front paws and curled up tight into a ball. Onix's tail dented the ground, but Bidoof's dense fur and squishy body absorbed the blow with minimal damage. It seemed that despite the Onix's massive size, its attack wasn't particularly powerful. If Bidoof could just weather the weight and the size of the Pokémon, he could probably win. It helped that the soft, wet road absorbed some of the attacks.

The other trainer rubbed his beard, surprised to see the beaver still standing. "Go for another Slam!"

Wyatt realized that he would have to strategize if he wanted any hope of winning. Tackling Onix to death just wouldn't take it out, no matter how little damage Bidoof took. In a war of attrition, the bigger opponent would win. "Bidoof, Growl!"

Onix raised its tail to strike again, but Bidoof puffed out its chest and unleashed a completely harmless trilling sound from its throat. Onix hesitated, perhaps feeling too guilty to murder something so small and harmless.

"Go on, Onix! Slam it!" This time, Bidoof anticipated the attack and pounced onto Onix's tail, clinging tight with his short claws.

"Water Gun!" Wyatt called, his hands balled into fists. A weak blast of water erupted from Bidoof's mouth and splashed the joints of Onix's tail. Despite the small stream, Onix roared in pain and began to thrash around wildly in an attempt to shake the small Pokémon off of it.

At the trainer's command, Onix curled its tail around in an attempt to catch Bidoof with a Bind attack, but the large boulders of its body gave Bidoof just enough room to squeeze through and climb up to a different segment, blasting the beast with more and more water. It wasn't long before Onix gave up and collapsed to the ground in a heap, denting the soft earth with impact. Bidoof jumped safely to the ground and kicked at the dirt, still raring to go.

The hiker returned his Pokémon and scratched at his head sheepishly as he closed the distance between him and Wyatt. "That was my only Pokémon. I guess that's a win for you, kid."

Wyatt was frozen to the spot at the sound of those words. A win? He had won? He had won a battle? Without thinking, he bleated an awkward laugh and fist pumped the air. "That's my first ever win!"

The other trainer seemed even more humiliated. "How long have you been a trainer?"

"Doesn't matter." Wyatt shook his head and ran over to Bidoof. He scooped the feisty Pokémon up into his arms and squashed it in a tight hug. "You were amazing, buddy!" Bidoof simply gave a smug shrug, as if Wyatt were telling him something that he already knew.

"I lost to some grown kid with a Bidoof…" The hiker pulled a handful of bills and coins out of his pocket and held it out towards Wyatt. He shook his head and started down the path back towards Jubilife City, taking his shattered pride with him.

"That was quite a technical battle. I'm impressed that you assessed the situation and devised a strategy other than throwing power at power." Mai spoke. She offered Wyatt a genuine smile, though it only lasted for a moment before her normally stony expression returned. Her stormy eyes turned to Bidoof and seemed to light up with a joy that didn't reach the rest of her face. "It seems you're blessed with a very, very crafty Pokémon."

"You were on fire! But… you could have just used that new Budew and told him to Absorb like crazy. That way you can get his health back up to full and get the newest guy some good experience!" Flint offered.

"But Budew is pretty beaten up still, it likely wouldn't have withstood a single attack from Onix." Mai countered.

"So what? Wyatt could have just attacked first and then Budew would be healthy enough to take any hit! Onix are really gentle, they're known for sucking in battle."

"But if Budew couldn't concentrate enough to focus its attack, then it wouldn't get its health back and-..."

"GUYS!" Wyatt barked with a forced laugh. "I appreciate the input but the battle is already over. No point fighting over hypotheticals, right?"

"Fair enough." Mai turned her attention back to the huge cave entrance before them. It was called a gate, but it was more like a tunnel to Oreburgh City. She could see the buildings far on the other end, but the path itself didn't seem to be too brightly lit. "Can we get going before the sun starts to go down?"

"We can do whatever you say, Boss!" Flint teased as he folded his hands behind his head. Corvus, disrupted from his perch by this, took off from Flint's shoulder and landed heavily on Wyatt's head. "You know everything, right?"

Wyatt rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of defeat, putting one foot in front of the other again. Truthfully, he didn't care to be involved if they started bantering again. He had just earned his first victory on what was going to be a long, long journey.


	8. Chapter VIII: Calm Before The Storm

Take the Stage

Chapter VIII- Calm Before The Storm

* * *

The group didn't arrive at the Oreburgh City Pokemon Center until well after midnight, and by then Wyatt's feet were blistered and throbbing with pain. They had arrived in Oreburgh around seven in the evening, but the Pokemon Center in town was dead in the middle of town and absolutely nowhere near the Oreburgh Gate, despite Flint's adamant claims that he knew where he was going.

Thankfully there was still one room with two bunk beds available for trainers, and so Wyatt had tossed his wet clothes in the small washer and dryer and showered without paying a bit of mind to his traveling partners. He was unconscious the minute that his head hit the stiff pillow.

His sleep was short lived. After only about three hours of sleep, his eyes popped open and he sat up in the bed, fully awake. Despite his exhaustion and his soreness, he felt like staying in bed was simply wasting time. Where did all of this energy come from?

He crawled to the end of the bed and carefully eased his leg down to catch his footing on the bedframe of the bunk below. He winced in pain as his ankles lit up and began to ache all over again, but it quickly subsided.

A pair of glowing eyes watched him from the bottom bunk; Hypno was sitting cross-legged and watching Wyatt's movements in the darkness. It took the trainer a few moments to feel the glare upon him and when he finally did, he jumped and had to clap his hands over his mouth to keep from crying out in surprise.

Hypno could see Wyatt's angry brown eyes in the dark and merely gave an apologetic shrug in response. 'She always sleeps fitfully. My presence soothes.' Wyatt shook his head as he heard the quiet voice injected right into his skull; it felt like someone was blowing air in one ear and out the other or something. Truly unpleasant. Was this what telepathy always felt like?

Furthermore, he had read plenty of creepy stories on the internet about Hypno eating dreams, causing people to die from sleep deprivation, and kidnapping people to carry them away to the underworld. Upon actually seeing a Hypno in person for the first time, he thought all of that seemed like silly stories. But now, with the strange thing sitting up in the darkness speaking cryptically and watching him, Wyatt was freaked out. His arm hair stood on end and he was a bit afraid to walk away and turn his back to it.

Hypno cocked his head. He didn't have to be able to read minds to know exactly what the boy was thinking. In response to that, he began to speak.

_'Alas, the forbidden one, whose black wings blot out the daylight of the crimson sun. Starly in their nests warble for salvation, songs of longing for the warmth of daylight. There is nothing. Now, Father Moon, accept this human man into your lifeless embrace…'_ Hypno chanted into Wyatt's consciousness.

With zero hesitation Wyatt jumped into his shoes and ran out of the hotel room, only pausing to snatch up the three Pokeballs of his team on his way out. If he had taken a moment to think, surely he would have realized the imp was simply teasing him.

Hypno chortled to himself and then nestled his chin into his neck ruff. He settled back on the bunk and listened to the quiet mechanical hum of the hotel fridge and the quiet shufflings of the old Pokemon Center settling in the chilly wind. Man-made comforts always seemed so fragile and noisy compared to the wild, but he was used to all the noise by now. For his sensitive ears, there was no moment of silence quiet enough to allow for restful sleep.

Humans were incredibly stupid.

* * *

The more Wyatt pondered his interaction with Hypno, the more it became starkly obvious to him that the goblin had been playing a prank on him. This realization caused him to slow his pace as he left the Pokemon Center. He pushed open the lobby door with an embarrassed smile creeping up on his face. Truthfully, he was just amused that a Pokemon would have a sense of humor like that.

The teen was greeted by cold, still air as he stepped out into the town proper. He began a rather leisurely walk back down the main road that himself, Mai, and Flint had entered town on. They had passed the Oreburgh Mines during their long, long trip to the Pokemon Center, and Wyatt had seen a few notices about the work crew Pokemon wanting to train during their off hours. He didn't know if they meant 3:00 AM when they said off hours, but even if he couldn't get a few battles in, he could at least tour the outside of the mines. More than anything he wanted to train his Pokemon without feeling as if he were under constant scrutiny by the other two trainers. Even if they did not mean to, their presence and watchful eyes intimidated him.

The night sky was clear and crisp. Stars were spread out above him in clusters of white, pink, and yellow, so numerous that the night seemed lit up by them. It was unlike anything that he had ever seen before.

Wyatt hadn't been watching where he was going and he brushed against a man who was walking the opposite direction on the same sidewalk that he traveled. Wyatt turned around and noticed that the man was wearing a tidy gray suit with no coat. His gray-blue hair was cut short but spiked back from his severe forehead. Wyatt could only see his profile; the man had half-turned towards the blond as if waiting for him to say something.

"Oh, uh, excuse me, sir. Sorry," Wyatt offered with a half-wave. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

The man gave a singular nod and turned his back to Wyatt once more. "I see. Just be more careful."

The man's voice was utterly void of emotion, so empty that Wyatt felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He didn't get a particularly scary vibe, but he expected the guy to shout or have an accent of some sort, and instead he simply sounded cold. He feared for a moment that their strange exchange would continue because the man was still standing there with his back to Wyatt, but finally he began to move again, following the sidewalk just as he had been before.

"Have a good evening," the man muttered in farewell as he left.

Wyatt also continued on his own trek, wrapping his arms around himself to warm up. He had left his coat in the hotel room, of course. He couldn't quite place his finger on what it was about that man that bothered him so, but it reminded him of his hometown. For reasons he couldn't explain, he thought of his own grandfather briefly. There was a kindly older man who lived down the road from Wyatt and his grandpa; the two would often swap recipes and--

Why on earth was he even thinking about this, again?

He picked his pace up to a jog and followed the raised conveyor belts and large work trucks until he finally came to what seemed to be the entrance to the mines. He was no genius, but he knew better than to wander inside on his own. However, plenty of small gray human-like Pokemon were wandering about and lounging in the rocks and on the carts so he likely wouldn't have to enter the mines to find a worthy opponent.

"Uh, excuse me…" Wyatt uttered aloud. He felt a bit foolish addressing Pokemon this way. Could they even understand him? A few pairs of sleepy eyes blinked at him from within a huge pile of rubble. Small pebbles began to tumble as a curious Geodude crawled out of the slag to see what was going on.

"Macha!" One of the small gray Pokemon, Machop, lay down a bucket of dirt that it was carrying and regarded him with its big hands on its hips. Wyatt didn't know if that was an acknowledgement, greeting, or a threat, but surely all of these Pokemon worked for the city, right? He hoped that they didn't maul him.

He rubbed at his hair sheepishly. "S-sorry, I was just wondering if… er, if you guys aren't busy… if any of you would be willing to help me train a little?"

The Machop turned around and caught the gaze of another Machop, who shrugged. Wyatt wanted to laugh at the sight. It was an oddly human gesture. He started to wonder if these Pokemon were wild Pokemon with their own hierarchy, or if they were well trained Pokemon that belonged to the workers.

The very same Machop chirped again and locked eyes with Wyatt. It raised its right arm and flexed it with a grin, accepting his challenge.

"Thanks, dude." Wyatt tossed Shinx's Pokeball and she appeared with a yawn, quickly scanning the area with her big yellow eyes to get her bearings. "Hey, this guy is gonna help us train up a bit, okay?"

Shinx shook out her fur as the Machop bent its knees and raised its hands towards her in a fighting stance. Static began to course over her short fur as she charged up, but the Machop quickly stood upright and shook its head, crossing its hands in an 'X' over its chest like an umpire calling a foul in a baseball game.

"Shee?" Shinx's electricity scattered away and she cocked her head, staring at her opponent in confusion.

The fighting-type braced its arms again, trying to drive its point home. It then gestured at the equipment behind it and pointed a stubby finger at the sky.

Wyatt finally caught on. "Shinx, no electric attacks. If you mess up the equipment or paralyse someone, they can't get their work done tomorrow. Got that? No shocking." He found it fascinating how complex these little creatures were. Of course, Wyatt hadn't even considered any risk to the things around them.

Machop offered Wyatt a thumbs up and hunched back down into a fighting stance once more. Shinx whipped her tail and then wiggled her butt in preparation to pounce.

"I'll let you wrestle it out, but no blood! No claws! This is just exercise, alright?" Wyatt warned. Shinx quickly withdrew her claws and leapt at the Machop in an attempt to tackle it to the ground. The small fighter caught her by the head in his big hands and spun her around. He tossed her in the air, but she quickly righted herself and landed her feet, ready to pounce again. Sparks coated her body unconsciously and she had to fight for a moment to get her leaking power back in check.

Machop ran at Shinx and then dove into a sliding Low Kick to knock her feet out from under her successfully. The minute that she sprung back up, Machop swept her four legs out from under her once more.

"You can do it, Shinx! The only way to avoid that attack will be to jump up out of the way," Wyatt offered. Shinx tried and failed to do so, and thus began a vicious cycle of her getting her feet knocked out from under her and then her getting back up again. "This… is going to take a while. Maybe Bidoof can try for a bit?"

Shinx growled in anger and got back up again. She was going to dodge at least one of those hits even if it took all night. Her pride was on the line now!

* * *

Flint was, and always had been, a morning person. He sprung awake at full force at 5:30 AM on the dot just like he always did and did not even make an attempt to keep quiet as he got dressed and fiddled around in the room's kitchenette for a frying pan to start breakfast in. He showered, singing noisily the entire time, and then turned on every light in the small hotel room without the slightest bit of hesitation.

A quick inspection told him Wyatt's bunk was empty. Flint was actually somewhat impressed; his old pal had finally gotten his ass in gear and started rising with the sun, it seemed! Of course, Flint didn't realize that Wyatt had snuck out the night before and simply hadn't returned yet. Somewhat content with this, he returned to the kitchen and pondered how to make the stove work.

After what was probably only one full minute of actual thought, he released Rapidash from her Pokeball and turned his bright gray eyes on the horse with a winning smile.

"Mornin', bud! Do you think you could help me out here?" He chirped. Rapidash stared at the pan with its two raw eggs sitting pitifully in the bottom and tossed her head in response. Flint covered his eyes with his forearm as embers scattered to and fro from her mane. He didn't even notice as they caught onto an oven mitt laying on the nearby counter, but thankfully it petered out before it could catch hold and set the entire Pokemon Center ablaze.

"Hey, come on! All I'm asking is for you to take the raw and make it unraw! Seriously, it's not that hard, right?"

Hypno watched from the bottom bunk in the distant room, his eyes wide with absolute shock. Did this man seriously intend to use a fire-breathing Pokemon to light up a gas oven? How had he survived this long as an adult with such easy access to fire?

Rapidash, thankfully, was much more rational than her trainer. She bent her head and lipped a dial on the front of the stove to nudge it to a low setting. In just a few seconds time, the coils on the stove began to turn from black to orange.

Flint moved the pan from the eye in front of him to the warm one. If he was bothered by the fact that a Pokemon that had never used a stove just showed him how to use a stove, that concern did not show. "Thanks, pal. I've never cooked breakfast for anyone else before. It feels nice to be the most responsible one around, haha!" He shook the shower water from his wild curls, causing droplets to fly here and there. A few landed on the stovetop and evaporated with an alarming hiss.

Rapidash sincerely hoped that nobody else ate anything that Flint prepared. Many people, especially his peers in the League, were often surprised by how competent Flint was at most tasks despite his unprofessional appearance. Battling, taxes, teaching, and functioning as a normal human being were things that he had a decent grasp on. Rapidash was more concerned with how fully inept he was at anything that he was NOT good at. Namely, basic life skills. If they made it through one day without a fire or lost shoe or destroyed property, they were doing quite well in her book.

"It's six. Why don't you go wake Mai up? If Wyatt is already up and at 'em, then we're probably going to go soon!" Flint commanded.

Rapidash walked over to the bunk bed and placed her head on the mattress, burying her nose in Mai's palm. The sleeping girl made a face, but didn't seem to really stir. Instead, Rapidash caught the hem of Mai's shirt in her teeth and yanked at it, inching her sleeping form across the mattress just a little.

Finally, her eyes fluttered open. At first Mai seemed to regard the Pokemon with pleasant sleepiness, but then confusion reflected in her eyes and she bolted upright in a panic. A fearful gasp passed her lips as she tried to back away and sit upright all in one motion, but in her frenzy she failed to remember that she was on a top bunk in a Pokemon Center. Her entire being tumbled backwards, but she just barely managed to grasp the fitted sheet in her hands and held tight for her life as if she were dangling over a cliff with her life at stake. Her hanging feet wiggled uselessly as she tried to find a foothold on the small nightstand that was between the bunk beds, but she was nowhere near it. Clearly, she overestimated her own height.

Flint watched with a spatula in hand, completely at a loss for words for once. "Hey there, uh, you want some help?" He offered brightly.

The sheet was beginning to slip off of the corner of the mattress. Mai sensed her impending doom and accepted fate. "Do not look at me." She commanded coldly. "I mean it. Look away."

"Geez…" Flint turned back towards the kitchen and rolled his eyes. "You're not really in any position to reject help." His words were immediately followed by a loud crash and the sound of splintering wood. He disobeyed and whipped back around to see Mai sitting on top of what used to be the nightstand. She still had a sheet in one hand, but it had finally given away and sent her tumbling down off the top bunk for good. "Are you alright!?"

"I believe so." She quietly stood up and brushed herself off. Her stormy eyes inspected the carnage, found her phone amongst it, and then carefully picked it up and placed it safely on the bottom bunk next to Hypno. He glanced at it and then blinked back up at his temporary trainer with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Seriously, are you hurt?"

She rubbed her lower back and continued to stare at the floor in shame. "It seems I have broken that small desk," she reported.

"A wise observation." Flint retorted. "Do you, uh, want food?"

"No, thank you." Stiffly, she walked to her bag, picked it up, and then disappeared into the bathroom to shower.

Only a few minutes later, the hotel door flew open and Wyatt bustled in with a groan of pain. He was covered in dust and there was a purplish bruise on his right cheek. His hair stuck up in grimy tufts as if someone with nasty hands had pulled at it.

"Hey, Flint," Wyatt offered without looking up at the other trainer. He simply started towards the bunk bed to grab his things so that he could shower. When he noticed the shattered corpse of the nightstand, he froze and regarded it with confusion.

"You can't shower, Miss Congeniality is in there. And why do you look like you've been in a street fight?" Flint asked.

"Why is the little table thingy broken?" Wyatt retaliated.

"Mai broke it with her ass. But I asked you first!"

"Uh…" Wyatt rubbed at his head and did not dare ask for Flint to elaborate. "I snuck out to train, but it escalated and then a whole bunch of Machop started trying to fight me instead of my Pokemon." He began to talk faster and faster to get all of the words out. "And then some guy showed up and started yelling at me about disturbing the eggs. And I said 'what eggs? This is a stinkin' work yard!' and he said 'the Geodude eggs in the slag heap, you idiot!' and so I said 'what the hell is a slag heap?' and then, like, this avalanche of rocks happened. And then a couple of workers showed up and made me pile up every single rock that fell, and now here I am."

Flint shook his head in an attempt to make heads or tails of the nonsense that was falling out of Wyatt's mouth. "So you've been doing manual labor all night?"

"Yeah. Building character, as my Grandad would say." The blond dropped painfully onto the bottom bunk. Every muscle in his body seemed to breathe a sigh of relief for just a moment, but then they began to lock and cramp up. "Oh, ow… everything hurts…" he groaned. He curled into the fetal position on his side and whined as he held his stomach. "I'm so hungry that I'm going to die."

"I made breakfast! We can eat and then you can catch a few minutes of shut eye."

Wyatt blew his unruly hair out of his eyes with a short breath. "No way, I'm going to take on the gym."

"What? Seriously? We just got here. You've won one battle and you're ready to take on a gym?"

"We trained all night last night!" Well, at least for a couple of hours, considering that he didn't leave the hotel until about three. Flint didn't need to know that.

"So you trained for one night and now you're champ material, huh?" Flint teased.

Wyatt slowly sat up. He was wincing in pain the entire time he did so. "It won't hurt to challenge him and get a feel of the battle, right? I know you might not believe it, but Budew and Bidoof are both really strong. Budew was taking out Geodudes left and right last night." He scratched at his cheek. "...As long as he doesn't have to run or move or act fast, he's really tough. And Bidoof is a natural born fighter!"

"Hey, don't get defensive. I believe you can do it, I just don't want you to rush it and get penalized. If you lose twice in a row to a gym leader, then you have to wait three days before you can challenge them again. I wanna see you win but I can't stick around for long. So make the battles count!"

The blonds lanky arms reached out and pulled a pillow into his lap. He certainly didn't know that.

"There are always trainers hanging around gyms who are willing to fight. Why don't we drop by Roark's gym and see if anybody wants to battle?"

"That sounds like a good start, I guess." Wyatt shrugged. A smile slipped up onto his face. "Just wait until you see Budew in action, though. You're gonna be blown over in shock."

"A grass type toppling a bunch of Geodude, who would have thought!" Flint teased. "I'll be amazed when it can stand toe to toe with Infernape!" Rapidash snorted as if to remind her trainer that she was just as strong as his starter. "Oh, or Rapidash."

"Come on, he's just a baby…"

"Well, is he strong or isn't he?"

"He is, but you're the Elite Four, so it's not even fair to-..."

Their friendly banter stopped as Mai's phone began to ring. Both boys looked at it and then looked at each other.

"Get it," Flint said boldly, a smile creeping up on his face. "I dare you to."

Wyatt had a feeling that Flint was going to say something like that. "There is no way in hell I'm invading her privacy. That girl will probably have me assassinated or something."

"Come on, it's not an invasion of privacy to answer a call for someone! I mean, what if it's really important? What if her mom is on life support in a hospital? What if she's wanted for murder and that's the police?" Flint grabbed the phone and made himself comfortable on the bottom bunk next to Hypno. The Pokemon actually scooted closer to be nosy and hear the conversation. "Hellooooo? Who is this?" Flint answered in a singsong voice, smiling like an idiot as he held Mai's phone to his ear.

"H-hello?" A soft voice whimpered. "Mai?"

"Uh, sorry, she's not here. Can I take a message?" Flint asked, his smile fading. The person on the other end sucked in a shaky gasp. Suddenly there was a loud click; the sound of a landline phone being slammed back into its cradle.

At that moment Mai threw open the bathroom door and filled the frame, surrounded by a burst of steam from her shower. She adjusted the cuffs of her tailored, navy blazer and pulled her damp hair up out of the collar with a satisfied sigh. Her eyes fell on Wyatt and she tilted her head as she offered him a tiny smile. "Good morning. I wondered where you were." She drifted her gaze over to Flint and realized that he had her phone in her hand.

Flint quickly stood up from the bottom bunk and held it out to her. "Your phone rang, so I answered it. They hung up, though."

She crossed the room and took her phone from him, her mouth set into a hard line in her anger. "...Was it a man?"

"I couldn't really tell, but it sounded like a girl…" Flint explained as he rubbed his neck. Mai didn't raise her voice or even look at him, but her frustration was oppressive. He looked to Wyatt for help, but the blond simply shook his head as if to say 'I told you so.'

"I see." She glanced at her call history. The number didn't seem familiar. "Anyways. Wyatt, I owe you a battle. I promised to help you train and I fell through."

"Uh, yeah, I mean-..." Wyatt fumbled over his words. This time, he looked to Flint for help. He wondered if this battle was retaliation for them touching her phone. If so, he was innocent! "I was training all night, but a little more training won't hurt."

"No, not just training or shadowboxing. I mean a real battle. I was up late last night thinking about it." She folded her arms as she addressed him thoughtfully. "I think, with more battle experience, you could form some proper technical winning strategies. You have never rushed in for victory or claimed the first move in the battles that I've seen. Once you overcome your doubt, you have a solid foundation for strategic victories."

Where was all of this coming from? It sounded like it had been on her mind. "I, uh, have a good foundation?" Wyatt responded. He wasn't sure what was more shocking: her observation, or her admitting her observation. "Just how close have you been watching?"

"Many trainers charge for victory with all-out offense." She uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips as she offered a smile that actually lit up her eyes. "I specialize in battles where you outwit your opponent and overcome your own Pokemon's shortcomings. Every Pokemon has a weakness, and every trainer has a weakness. By altering your approach, you can patch up your own team's weaknesses with your own strength. A jack of all trades is a master of none; make a craft and master it. Allow other resources or strategies to cover your other bases."

"What does that have to do with us battling?" Wyatt shook his head. "We can't just train our Pokemon?"

She shook her head, tousling her damp hair. Her small, gleeful smile was still stuck to her face even as she uttered her reasoning. "No. If you are fearful, you will fight harder."

"I… oh, alright…" He lamented. Dread settled in his shoulders and he gave a shudder. "Can I shower?"

"Excellent. Prepare for your battle and meet me outside. We will find a nice spot outside of town so that it doesn't draw eyes." With that, she jutted a thumb at Hypno and made her way out of the room with the Pokemon in pursuit.

"How cute, she's all fired up." Flint chuckled. "You think she might just want to beat you up to feel better after losing to me yesterday? I know a lot of girls who take out their frustration on guys like you. Yep. The path of least resistance."

"Oh, come on…" Wyatt groaned with a roll of his eyes as he pulled fresh clothes out of his bag. "She just wants a battle. It has nothing to do with you."

Wyatt didn't take long to shower, dress, and gather his Pokemon from the nurse at reception on the way out the door. He started to look around for Mai, and Flint wordlessly jutted his thumb towards a dirt path leading out north of the town. A good distance away, a smattering of white and navy stood out against the stark browns and grays of the mountain path. There was no doubt that it was her.

Her back was to the both of them, but she turned at the sound of their footfalls crunching over gravel and old snow. "Wyatt, I want you to understand something." Mai pushed her hair back from her shoulder and then folded her arms over her chest.

His brown eyes dodged hers; what was with this intensity? He recalled that she had gotten short with him in her battle with Flint, but this seemed different. This 'fired up' version of her was kind of intimidating. "Yeah?"

"I want you to understand that your Pokemon could die in this battle. Are you prepared for that?"

"What?!" He yelped in shock. "Absolutely not. Are you insane?"

"A Pokemon can die in any battle. A Pokemon can die outside of battle. Do you understand? You are taking a wild creature's life and placing its livelihood in your hands. How can you catch Pokemon and not be prepared for the worst to happen?"

Wyatt ran his palm over his face. "Right, right. The Trainer's Promise, I get it. I thought you were saying that you were gonna try to kill my team!"

Mai frowned. "Of course I would never try, but you can't fight for your life if you don't know the value of it, right? Only when faced with fear does your body become faster, sharper. Adrenaline pumps and clouds your judgment. Do you struggle violently or resort to logic? Anything that you do in training will come through in battle. You will resort to instinct."

He briefly thought of his encounter with Iza and how his gut reaction had been to roll towards an incoming attack. It was stupid and would have failed, but playing video games had trained him to duck towards an attack. "So you want me to make logic my instinct. And… turn that adrenaline into tactics, right?"

Mai nodded and held a Pokeball tight in her grasp. She tossed it into the air and it burst open with a flash of white light. Corvus the Murkrow made his appearance and took flight right away, stretching his wings with a caw of delight.

"Weak to Shinx. That's easy enough!" He pointed to the battlefield and Shinx ran forwards to take her place opposite Mai and her Pokemon.

"Shinx looks so much more confident than she did yesterday. And ten times more confident then when we met two days ago." A smile of fondness crossed Mai's face as she waved a hand towards the battlefield. "Destroy her, Corvus. Teach her the meaning of fear!"

Wyatt shook his head violently and shouted in protest. "Why would you even say something like that?!" He didn't have time to hear her reply before his opponent began to divebomb his own Pokemon. It was time to buckle down, shut up, and fight to win!

* * *

_A little silver-haired girl struggled to keep her feet under her as the tall, red-headed woman walked her down the brightly lit hallway. The woman's heels clicked loudly against the linoleum; Mai would never forget that sound. It seemed to be burned into her brain somehow_.

_The woman knocked on a shrouded glass door and twisted the handle just enough to poke her head inside. "Sawyer, Mai is home from school. Can I let her in?"_

_Before her father could respond, Mai pushed open the door and dashed inside. She caught sight of her father's tall figure and rushed at him, throwing her short arms around his left leg. The woman let out a gasp and made a motion to retrieve Mai, but he stopped her with a_ _dismissive wave._

_"It's fine, Ariana. She can help us with this work." He chuckled as he tipped her a winning wink. He looked tired; his shaggy gray hair that was usually slicked back was unkept and stubble dusted his wide chin. Despite the fact that he couldn't be older than thirty-five, the bags under his eyes made him look closer to sixty. The woman gave a singular nod and turned heel to exit. She closed the door behind her a bit too hard._

_"So what did you learn today, little one?" Sawyer's big hands extracted her small grip from his leg and he lifted her up high enough so that she could properly see over the table._

_"We aren't going to be able to finish the daily_ _report in time with her here…" A snide voice grumbled. It belonged to a thin blond teen who sat across the table. He dropped his chin into his hands and rested his elbows on the table, kicking at the stool under his feet. "You know I can't come into work tomorrow, right? We have to finish all of this today! My dad is going to wring my neck if I come home late again."_

_Mai puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and wriggled to get out of her father's arms. Clumsily, she climbed up on the stool opposite him and mimicked him. Whether it was_ _intentional or not, Sawyer really wasn't sure. "Don't talk to my father like that!" She huffed. "It's disrespectful!"_

_"You're disrespectful. There is science going on here. And don't touch anything on the table! Mr. Sully, come on. She's in the way!"_

_"Fabian, calm down. Everything will get done and you'll be home in time to finish your paper, alright?"_

_"I thought we agreed that you'd call me Faba. You know, like code names?"_

_"You need a code name for an office job?" Sawyer chuckled as he shook his head_.

_"That's a type of bean." Mai offered insightfully. "I hate beans. They taste like dirt."_

_Faba snorted haughtily. "Good observation. You must eat a lot of dirt in pre-school."_

_Mai inhaled to retort that she was, in fact, NOT a pre-schooler, but Sawyer cleared his throat and they both immediately fell silent. His amethyst eyes had taken on a stormy look and his mouth was set into a firm line._

_"That's enough," he grumbled darkly. "You head on home and I'll handle the daily report. And this time, you__ leave your badge at the front desk. I heard you were bragging about working for Silph at school the other day. Need I remind you that you are just an intern? We don't hire anyone who isn't qualified."_

_Mai shrunk down on her seat. Her father definitely didn't sound like that at home, that was for sure. Was he always scary at work?_

_Faba's eyes darted to the table to avoid eye contact. "But I have to be close to qualified, right? I mean, I've applied for every college in the entire region, and then some. I'm so much more ambitious than the other folks at my school, and I know the office really well. That has to count for something, right?"_

_"You can't let your ego surpass your actual skill level. Trying hard is not the same as succeeding. Once you actually present me with a Master Ball prototype that doesn't explode or break open before it's thrown, we can talk about qualification."_


End file.
